ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biomass Sector

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the skills level in the biomass sector; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Biomass Task Force identified that the demand for a skilled work force would increase as the biomass industry expands. The Government recognise that a well trained and highly skilled work force is essential for the future success of the biomass industry and agreed with the task force's recommendation for identifying the skills and training requirements in this sector. We will continue to work closely with relevant bodies, including the Sector Skills Councils and Regional Development Agencies, on a range of actions to underpin future training provision for both the clean biomass and waste biomass sectors.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by how many tonnes of carbon dioxide vehicle emissions changed after the passage of the Euro III (2000) emissions standards; and what change is expected once the Euro IV (2005) standards take effect.

Ian Pearson: The Euro III and Euro IV standards deal with the emissions of pollutants that impact upon air quality, rather than climate. However, while trying to improve air quality through introduction of the challenging emissions requirements of the Euro III and Euro IV standards, the European Community is also working with car manufacturers to achieve voluntary agreements on new car fuel efficiency.
	The following table shows the evolution of average performance of passenger cars as different Euro standards have been introduced.
	
		
			  Table 1: Average carbon dioxide emissions of new cars sold in the United Kingdom, under urban driving, rural driving and motorway driving conditions 
			   Emissions (grams per kilometre) of carbon dioxide from average new passenger car 
			   Petrol  Diesel 
			   Urban  Rural  Motorway  Urban  Rural  Motorway 
			 Cars sold 1996-1999 (pre-Euro III) 195 187 227 188 174 232 
			 Cars sold 2000-2004 (Euro III) 183 176 213 168 155 207 
			 Projected emissions from cars sold 2005-2010 (Euro IV) 163 157 190 153 141 188

Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford of 1 March concerning Mr. Dan Stephenson; what the reasons are for the delay in replying; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 26 June 2006
	A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 22 June.
	The Department has no record of receiving the letter of 1 March. A follow-up letter was received on 25 April but it did not contain a copy of the constituent's letter so officials were unable to draft a response. The hon. Member's office then faxed a copy of the letter to the Department.
	However, I apologise for the fact that it has taken longer than usual for a reply to be sent.

David Diamond

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when  (a) an interim and  (b) the full single payment scheme payment will be made to Mr. David Diamond of South Brent (holding number 10/296/025); and if he will meet Mr. Diamond to discuss the reasons for delays in payment.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 8 May 2006
	I can confirm that Mr. David Diamond of South Brent was made a full payment under the single payment scheme on 10 May 2006. Ministers and officials at the Rural Payments Agency have apologised for the delay in making payments under the single payment scheme and RPA staff are working hard to complete outstanding payments as quickly as possible.

Departmental Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by his Department on alcohol for hospitality purposes.

Barry Gardiner: The Department has no plans to record separately the cost of alcohol for hospitality purposes.

Energy Efficiency

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with  (a) the European Commission and  (b) other member states of the European Union on proposing policy on improvements in energy efficiency.

Ian Pearson: Energy efficiency is at the heart of UK energy policy. We have made significant efforts to ensure its importance is recognised at European level to enable the EU to meet its climate change goals, while simultaneously increasing competitiveness and security of supply.
	The European Commission's Green Paper on Energy Efficiency, published on 29 June 2005, set a target to reduce energy consumption across the EU by 20 per cent. by 2020. The Government have welcomed the stance taken in the Green Paper and made an active contribution to the consultation process, which ended in March this year. The Government look forward to the release, in September, of an ambitious and realistic Energy Efficiency Action Plan from the Commission, which incorporates comments from the UK, and forms an integral part of EU energy policy.

Entry Level Scheme

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking towards fulfilling his Department's commitment to  (a) 70 per cent. uptake of the Entry Level Scheme and  (b) providing continued expenditure for the Higher Tier Scheme.

Barry Gardiner: The Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) scheme is open to all farmers. The Department's only published target for ELS is to achieve 60 per cent. coverage of eligible English farmland by the end of 2007. At the present rate of uptake we are well on course to achieving this target.
	Both the Entry Level and Higher Level Stewardship schemes will be funded under the new Rural Development Programme for England 2007-2013. The total amount of funding available will depend on the outcome of discussions at EU level about how the voluntary modulation mechanism will operate from 2007 onwards. No decisions have yet been taken about the rate of voluntary modulation and any Exchequer co-financing in this period.

Foreign Travel

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on foreign travel by his Department in each of the last eight years.

Barry Gardiner: Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. This information is available in the Library. Information for the financial year 2004-05 was published on 21 July 2005,  Official Report, 158WS. Information for the financial year 2005-06 is in the process of being collated and will be published shortly.
	The following table shows expenditure for the Department, including its agencies, recorded since the Department was formed in 2001. There are no figures for DEFRA's predecessor Departments as this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Expenditure on foreign travel including accommodation and subsistence 
			   £000 
			 2001-02 2,760 
			 2002-03 3,526 
			 2003-04 3,507 
			 2004-05 3,618 
			 2005-06 4,578 
		
	
	All foreign travel undertaken by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the ministerial code and the civil service management code.

Rural Enterprise Scheme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what grants for rural businesses will be administered by the regional development agencies from 2007; what details have been made available on these schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: RDAs will be responsible for delivering the socio-economic elements of the new Rural Development Programme for England from January 2007. Priorities for this European co-funded programme are still being established, taking into consideration the results of a public consultation which ended on 22 May 2006.
	RDAs already provide support to both urban and rural businesses, through a range of initiatives within their regions, funded through the RDA single programme. As priorities and activities are determined regionally, initiatives vary between regions. Details of this support is available from each RDA.

Sustainable Water Systems

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many businesses have used the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme for investment water-saving technologies in  (a) Dudley,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) England since the scheme's introduction.

Ian Pearson: Detailed information on the take-up by businesses of the Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme for investment in water-saving technologies is not available.
	HM Revenue and Customs and HM Treasury ask businesses to tick a box on their income tax and corporation tax returns if their claim to capital allowances includes ECAs for environmentally beneficial technologies (i.e. energy-saving, water-efficient/ sustainable or low CO2 emission cars). However, this cannot specify the number of claims to ECAs made under the water scheme. Claims cannot be refined down to an individual city, local authority or country within the UK.

Thames Gateway

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1683W, to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather) on the Thames Gateway, what progress has been made as part of the National Flood and Coastal Defence Database in ascertaining the condition of the Thames estuary tidal defences.

Ian Pearson: The National Flood and Coastal Defence Database will record the location, height and condition of all flood defences in England.
	The Thames estuary tidal defences in London and Kent have now been entered into the database. More than 90 per cent. of the Thames estuary tidal defences in the Anglian region have also been entered into the database. Where defences have not been entered this is due to technical reasons rather than a lack of information about defences.
	London and the Thames estuary have one of the best tidal defence systems in the world, which provides a high standard of protection from flooding. The Environment Agency is currently developing a major flood risk management strategy—Thames Estuary 2100—to look at how we can manage flood risk to London over the next 100 years, taking into account future predicted impacts of climate change.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Commissioners Finance Director

Christopher Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the Commissioners finance director.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners financial and deputy secretary is Christopher Daws FCA, CTA, MCT, MA (Cantab). He has 36 years of financial experience in both the profession and a range of commercial businesses, before joining the Commissioners in 1994.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Arms Exports

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research his Department has  (a) carried out and  (b) commissioned into the economic consequences of ending export credit support for UK producers of military goods.

Ian McCartney: The Department has not carried out or commissioned specific research into the wider economic consequences of ending export credit support for UK military goods producers. However, it did contribute to a University of York study (2001) into the economic costs and benefits of a reduction in UK exports of military goods. In the recent past, it has also provided data to independent researchers investigating this subject area.

Arms Exports

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff were responsible for approving applications for arms exports in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: The Export Control Organisation of the Department of Trade and Industry acts as licensing body for all strategic exports from the UK and currently has a dedicated staff complement of 110.

Arms Exports

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff are tasked with monitoring compliance of UK  (a) companies and  (b) citizens in relation to UK arms export regulations.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation has seven full-time Compliance Visiting Officers who check compliance with the terms and conditions of open export and trade control licences.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate has been made of the annual carbon dioxide emissions from the new Centrica power plant in Devon once it is fully functioning.

Malcolm Wicks: Annual emissions from any combustion plant depend on the load factor (the proportion of the time that the plant operates), which is a matter for the plant operator, and the efficiency with which it converts fuel into electricity, which will depend on the design of the plant, also a matter for the plant operator.
	If the Langage plant operates at about the average load factor observed for newer plants of this type over recent years (about 66 per cent.) and at the efficiency expected of a new plant of this type (about 47 per cent. on a gross calorific value basis) it might be expected to emit some 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum.

Korea

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures the Department has taken to promote UK industry, technology and innovation in Korea to encourage inward investment from that country.

Ian McCartney: UK Trade and Investment, in partnership with the regional development agencies and devolved Administrations, is responsible for promoting the UK as a destination for high quality inward investment from overseas, including the Republic of Korea.
	Recently, UK Trade and Investment in Korea has focused on "in market" PR and media activity; the use of experts from industry and academia to talk directly to Korean companies about the UK's strengths in technology sectors and events aimed at encouraging partnerships between UK and Korean companies. Other elements are the facilitation of bilateral technology focused co-operation; inward/outward visits including technology fact-finding missions and technology partnering. The teams from UK Trade and Investment and the FCO's Science and Innovation Network based in Seoul collaborate to maximise the science and innovation aspects of events.

Micro-Renewables Targets

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to set national micro-renewable targets before November 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Section 4 of the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 requires the Government to take a decision as to whether it would be appropriate to designate targets for microgeneration by November 2008. If considered appropriate, targets would then need to be set by March 2009.
	We will be closely monitoring the development of the microgeneration market, assessing future trends and undertaking any further analysis and research required in order to take a decision on the suitability of a target within the designated time scales.

OM Energy Ltd.

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress the Department has made in relation to the trading activities of OM Energy Ltd.; what support the Government have provided for the company and its associated companies; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: OM Energy is a research stage company and is one of a pipeline of early-stage companies being assisted by UK Trade and Investment's Global Entrepreneur Programme (GEP). The GEP, which aims to attract entrepreneurial talent and technologies based overseas to relocate and carry out business in the UK, has provided normal Dealmaker support including information and guidance to the scientists and founders on the following, during Phase 1 of the project:
	Information on establishing a UK company
	Establishing a UK bank account
	Assigning the core patent to the UK company
	Introductions to non-governmental private equity sources of seed capital for early-stage high-risk research projects
	Filing for worldwide patents with UK patent agents
	Introductions to the UK scientific community to award a contract to characterise the research
	Information on British companies to procure specialist materials required.

Renewable Energy

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment has been made of the potential electricity generating capacity of tidal lagoons in the Severn estuary.

Malcolm Wicks: Between 1978 and 1994 the Government supported the most comprehensive programme of research and development on tidal energy in the world at an overall cost in excess of £20 million. Part of those studies reported in Energy Paper 46 HMSO 1981 (ISBN 011 4109168 and 410919 2) evaluated two proposals for multiple tidal power lagoons in the Severn estuary.

Telephone Advice Lines

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many telephone advice lines his Department and its non-departmental public bodies support; how many telephone advisers each employs; and how much funding is provided by  (a) his Department and its non-departmental public bodies,  (b) other Government Departments,  (c) the private sector and  (d) the voluntary sector.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department's central records do not contain the information to answer this question. Therefore, the Department of Trade and Industry could answer this question only at disproportionate cost.

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the sale of military equipment to the Zimbabwe Defence Force by Avient Ltd.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave her on 21 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1886W.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC Licence Fee

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the final report of the House of Lords BBC Charter Review Committee, what steps she plans to take to ensure there is parliamentary scrutiny of the BBC licence fee bid.

Shaun Woodward: The level of the licence fee is set by regulations made under the Communications Act 2003, which must be laid before both Houses of Parliament before they can come into effect. The regulations are subject to negative resolution procedure, but the opportunity exists for any change to be debated by both Houses.

BBC Licence Fee

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will include in the BBC licence fee settlement ring-fenced funding  (a) to cover the costs of digital switchover and  (b) to help the over-75s and other vulnerable groups with the costs of digital switchover.

Shaun Woodward: The Government are currently conducting a funding review to determine the level of the licence fee to apply from April 2007. The White Paper, "A public service for all: the BBC in the digital age", sets out the BBC's role in Digital Switchover including helping to establish and fund a scheme to help the most vulnerable TV viewers through digital switchover. The Government will take this issue into account, alongside all other relevant factors, as part of the funding review.

BBC Licence Fee

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department has assessed the possible impact of the licence fee settlement delay on digital switchover; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: holding answer 22 June 2006
	There is no delay in the licence fee settlement. The Government are currently conducting a funding review to determine the level of the licence fee to apply from April 2007; all relevant factors will be considered as part of the review. An announcement will be made later this year.

Cultural Services (Funding)

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what maximum amount of funding was available to local authorities from the cultural services block in each of the last five years; and what average amount was awarded in each year.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services Block is one of seven service blocks supported via formula grant. Formula grant comprises revenue support grant, redistributed business rates and principal formula police grant. Formula grant is an un-hypothecated block grant, i.e. authorities are able to use the money for any service. This means that it is not possible to say how much grant was provided for environmental, protective and cultural services.

Eveline Lowe School, Bermondsey

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will announce her decision on whether the application for listing for part of the Eveline Lowe school in Bermondsey, London SE1 has been granted.

David Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received advice from English Heritage and will be making a decision shortly.

London Bombings

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting she has had with people severely injured in the London bombings.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 15 June 2006
	As Minister responsible for the aftercare of victims of major disasters, I have held meetings with around 150 survivors of the bombings, many of whom sustained physical injuries. These meetings have highlighted many important issues which we must learn from if we are to improve our response to major emergencies in the future. The lessons identified following the 7 July 2006, and the work we are engaging in to make sure things change in the future, will be outlined in a Government paper to be published in due course.

Tourist Attractions (Suffolk)

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which 10 tourist attractions in  (a) Suffolk and  (b) Bury St. Edmunds constituency attracted the largest number of visitors in each year since 1997.

Shaun Woodward: My Department does not maintain central records of visitors to tourist attractions. However, Visit Britain and its predecessor have previously carried out periodical surveys of regional attractions. Where data are available the estimated visitor numbers for the most popular attractions covering Suffolk and the Bury St. Edmunds constituency are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Mannings Amusement Park 250,000 200,000 200,000 250,000 (1)— 270,000 270,000 270,000 
			 Nowton Park 90,000 250,000 200,000 200,000 194,268 240,037 (1)— (1)— 
			 Clare Castle Country Park 155,000 200,000 200,000 173,300 171,500 168,000 170,000 170,000 
			 Sutton Hoo Burial Site (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 210,000 135,000 102,000 
			 Suffolk Wildlife Park 119,573 110,876 117,788 115,000 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Ickworth House, Park and Garden 93,339 86,459 94,893 (1)— (1)— 109,178 117.651 102,159 
			 Minsmere Nature Reserve (RSPB) 84,000 76,912 74,656 71,642 61,526 75,105 81,466 85,166 
			 Easton Farm Park 40,000 38,000 35,000 (1)— (1)— 65,000 (1)— (1)— 
			 Framlingham Castle 66,240 62,318 64,126 63,836 57,634 57,176 59,932 55,088 
			 Bury St. Edmunds Cathedral 60,000 50,000 50,000 45,700 50,000 50,000 55,000 55,000 
			 (1) No data

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British troops killed and injured in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Sunday 11 June were evacuated by air or land; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Following enemy action on Sunday 11 June, the Ministry of Defence was saddened to confirm the death of Captain Philippson and the injury of two other UK personnel. The injured personnel were evacuated by CH47 Chinook helicopter from the scene of the incident to the UK medical facility at Camp Bastion, Helmand Province.

Cadet Forces

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to replace the cadet general purpose rifle used by the cadet forces; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: While there are currently sufficient stocks of all types of cadet rifles, future options, including replacement and extending the life of the current weapons, are being considered as part of the Ministry of Defence's normal planning process.

Complaints Management

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he plans to assess the implementation of his December 2005 Defence Instruction Notice concerning recording and retention of information in respect of the management of complaints; and if he will make a report to the House when his assessment has been made.

Tom Watson: Assessment of the implementation of the Defence Instruction Notice concerning the recording and retention of information in respect of the management of complaints will commence in January 2007. It is envisaged that a report will be made to the House in 2008 at the conclusion of Phase Three of the Agreement between the Ministry of Defence and the Equal Opportunities Commission.

Defence Police College

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many  (a) new and  (b) existing members of the Royal Military Police have attended courses since the opening of the Defence Police college in 2005; and what percentage of the total Royal Military Police personnel this represents;
	(2)  what courses are available at the Defence Police college; what the duration is of each; how many external consultants in what fields of expertise have assisted in training in the last five years; and what advice the college has sought from human rights experts in that period;
	(3)  who has been appointed as head of the Defence Police college.

Adam Ingram: Lieutenant Colonel T P Watton OBE AGC (RMP) was appointed as Commanding Officer, Defence Police college, when the college was formed in September 2005.
	The college provides the following courses:
	
		
			   Number of working days 
			  Royal Navy  
			 Senior Rates Regulation Acquaint 10 
			 Leading Regulator Sea Pre-Joining 6 
			 Provisional Professional Examination 1 
			 Regulating Petty Officer's Course 15 
			 Initial Regulating Qualifying Course 60 
			 Submarine Coxswain Course 23 
			 Personal Safety Training Course 10 
			 Professional Investigations Course 20 
			   
			  Royal Military Police  
			 Military Police Officers Course 40 
			 Company Commanders Course 10 
			 Investigations Course 18 
			 Initial Military Police Course 105 
			 Management of Investigations 5 
			 Intermediate Qualifying Course 25 
			 Junior Qualifying Course 5 
			 Scene of Crime Officer Course 40 
			 Provost Warrant Officer Course 5 
			 Pre-Field Army Course 12 
			 RMP Senior Qualifying Course 20 
			   
			  Royal Air Force  
			 Assistant Provost Marshal Course 102 
			 Basic Police Course 115 
			 Police Further Training Course 12 
			 Trade Management Training 10 
			 Air Transport Security 5 
			 Defensive Tactics (Unit Instructor) 5 
			 Counter Intelligence Course 48 
			 PACE Interview Technique Course 5 
			 Unit Security Officers Course 3 
			 Station Security Officers Course 1.5 
			 Computer Security 1 Course 15 
			 Computer Security 2 Course 18 
			 Computer Installation Manager Course 3 
			   
			  Tri-Service  
			 Level 3 Investigations Course 45 
		
	
	In total, 21 external consultants have assisted with this training since the formation of the college. They have expertise in the following fields:
	The role of solicitors in interviews
	Forensic Science (including DNA, drugs, firearms and metallurgy)
	Fatal road traffic accidents
	Obscene publications
	Sexual offences and use of sex offence kits
	Conduct of investigations
	Current drug trends
	Interviewing sex offenders
	Murder investigations
	Use of audio/visual equipment
	Kidnap and related offences
	Forensic pathology
	Fire pattern/accelerants
	Fingerprinting
	Crime scene investigation
	Forensic odentology
	Computer security
	Physical Security
	Intelligence reporting
	The college has not sought advice from external human rights experts. However, all RMP recruits receive training on the implications of the Human Rights Act 1998 during their basic training.
	A total of 97 trainees and 336 existing members of the Royal Military Police have attended courses at the Defence Police college since its formation. This represents 5.3 per cent. and 18.2 per cent. respectively of the Royal Military Police strength as of 1 May 2006.

European Security and Defence Policy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the objectives are of the European Security and Defence Policy.

Des Browne: The European Security and Defence Policy was devised as a means of adding military and civilian crisis management capabilities to the range of instruments—political, diplomatic, economic—already available to the EU to address crisis situations elsewhere in the world.
	The UK has succeeded in steering the policy from the outset to ensure that it complements the role of NATO as the cornerstone of European defence.
	The existence today of 14 EU-led missions, mostly civilian, on three continents, all in areas of high priority in terms of the UK's foreign policy interests, is evidence that the policy is making a positive difference to international security.

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an inquiry has been conducted into the unlawful killings in Iraq of  (a) Gunner David Lawrence of 1st Battalion Royal Horse Artillery and  (b) Corporal Marc Taylor of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers by (i) the Iraqi police and (ii) the British armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The conduct or otherwise of inquiries by the Iraqi Police Service is solely a matter for the Iraqi Government. The Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch (RMP(SIB)) conducted an investigation into the incident in which Gunner David Lawrence and Corporal Marc Taylor died. A copy of the RMP(SIB) report was submitted to the coroner for the inquest into the death of both soldiers which concluded on 15 February 2006.

Joint Personnel Administration

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  why the roll-out of Joint Personnel Administration has been delayed for  (a) the Army and  (b) the Royal Navy; and what the expected dates are for roll-out for each service;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of Joint Personnel Administration in March; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my Noble Friend (Lord Drayson) gave on 14 June 2006,  Official Report, column WA31 in another place to the Noble Lord Garden.

Operation Dominic (Compensation)

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provisions have been made to provide compensation for  (a) British personnel who have suffered injury and  (b) families of those who have died as a consequence of the Operation Dominic series of nuclear tests conducted in the vicinity of Christmas Island in 1962.

Tom Watson: British service personnel who suffered injury as a result of service, or their surviving spouses, may apply for a war pension, or war widow's pension, under the terms of the war pension scheme. A war pension may be payable in respect of any disablement or death due to service. There are no restrictions on the time or place of service and no time limits for making a claim under the scheme.

Parliamentary Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer Question 53690, tabled on 16 February, Question 70034, tabled on 9 May, and Questions 70033 and 70145, tabled on 10 May, by the hon. Member for Forest of Dean.

Tom Watson: I answered Question 53690, today. Work to answer Questions 70033, 70034 and 70145 is under way and I expect to be in a position to answer them shortly.

RAF Cosford

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on RAF Cosford being the preferred site for aeronautical training in the Defence Training Review; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: I have received many representations recommending Cosford as the preferred site for Aeronautical Engineering training; since January 2006 these have included 99 letters from the public, 14 letters from MPs, five Parliamentary Questions plus various meetings with MPs and officials. But, as I have said previously, we will select the solution which offers the best training capability for Defence.

Royal Military Police

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training the Royal Military Police receive in the use of the computerised Home Office Large Murder Enquiry System.

Adam Ingram: Senior Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch (RMP (SIB)) personnel attend Home Office approved Senior Investigation Officer Courses, which cover the use the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System (HOLMES) Version 2 and other systems designed to assist in major police investigations. Although RMP (SIB) personnel are no longer trained as HOLMES operators, this capability is maintained by the Ministry of Defence police, whose personnel attend courses provided by Home Department police forces training schools. The Service police forces have access to the system as required.

Royal Navy (Catering)

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether all Royal Navy personnel serving at sea have access to Halal and non-Halal meat options.

Tom Watson: Yes.

Service Allowances

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1583, on service allowances, for what reason regular service personnel of less than 12 months' service are not entitled to longer separation service allowance.

Tom Watson: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The X-Factor is an adjustment made to military pay, recommended by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB), which recognises the relative disadvantages of the conditions of service experienced by members of the armed forces, compared with personnel in the civilian sector.
	X-Factor is currently set at 13 per cent. for Regular personnel and is made up of a number of elements, one of which includes an element of separation. Therefore, to avoid double recompense, service personnel must experience a degree of separation (the qualifying period) before Longer Separated Service Allowance (LSSA) becomes payable.
	With the roll-out of the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA), LSSA is being replaced by Longer Separation Allowance (LSA). In recognition of the fact some junior personnel, particularly those in the infantry and Royal Marines, deploy immediately after their training, the Initial Qualifying Period for LSA has been set at 100 days of qualifying separated service. (Qualifying separated service requires personnel to be at a location that precludes return to their duty station, family or permanent residence for periods in excess of 10 days). This change from 12 months benefits those who deploy early in their careers.

Territorial Army

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people  (a) joined and  (b) resigned from the Territorial Army in Scotland in 2005.

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in the London borough of Bexley serve in the Territorial Army.

Tom Watson: The information is not held centrally in the format requested. Official strength figures for the Territorial Army (TA) are collated for the United Kingdom and not its constituent nations, counties or towns. As at 1 May 2006, the total strength of the TA was 37,270.
	 Notes:
	1. This figure includes 1,090 Mobilised TA personnel and 5,090 members of the Officer Training Corps, but excludes 1,070 Non- Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS). Full-time Reserve Service personnel are also excluded.
	2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Training (Supervisory Care)

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the principal components are of the new policy on the provision of supervisory care in phase one and two training establishments introduced in March 2006; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the supervisory care directive applicable to  (a) Deepcut barracks and  (b) Catterick barracks.

Tom Watson: The new Supervisory Care Policy for Defence Individual Training Establishments was published as a Defence Information Notice in March 2006 (2006DIN06-049). The policy mandates the determination of a Supervisory Care Directive, underpinned by a Unit Commander's Risk Assessment. The Supervisory Care Directive clearly articulates a Unit Commander's commitment to the care of trainees. It highlights areas where detailed care responsibilities are required, and cross-refers to other policies where appropriate. The Unit Commander's Risk Assessment takes account of the particular factors of the environment, the trainee population and the type of training being undertaken at each training establishment. The new policy mandates that minimum levels of supervision are determined from the Unit Commander's Risk Assessment and must be articulated against the relevant serials during the working day, out of hours, weekend and leave periods. Implementation of the new Supervisory Care Policy is subject to evaluation by the MOD HQ Defence Individual Training Capability (DITC) team in order to establish whether relevant policies have been correctly interpreted and successfully implemented.
	The Risk Assessment for Deepcut has been completed and a copy of its Supervisory Care Directive will be placed in the Library of the House. Work on the more complex directive for Catterick is not yet finalised and I anticipate that it will be available for placement in the Library of the House in the coming weeks. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as that work is complete.

Training (Supervisory Care)

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he plans to take to monitor the adoption and dissemination of a supervisory care directive in each unit of the Army; by what means he will ensure the minimum standards to be reached in drawing up a directive; what measures he plans to take to correct any omissions and flaws; and what his target is for compliance across the training estate.

Tom Watson: Instructions for the implementation of the Supervisory Care Policy for Defence Individual Training Establishments were issued in March 2006. Under this policy the Unit Commander of every training establishment is required to publish a Supervisory Care Directive, which they are to review annually. This Directive is underpinned by the Unit Commander's Risk Assessment which determines the minimum acceptable levels of supervision based on a number of local factors.
	The Directorate of Individual Training Capability team conducts a continuing programme of evaluation of Army training establishments looking at policy implementation to establish whether correct and consistent outcomes are being achieved.

Veterans Day

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding has been made available by his Department for events in celebration of Veterans Day; and how this funding has been allocated.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence has made available around £130,000 to support Veterans Day events around the United Kingdom, in addition to the funding for the national event in London. The money has been allocated to bids which best meet the objectives of publicly promoting the Veterans Day messages. The messages include: that veterans have made and continue to make a major contribution to our nation; that veterans can be any age; that the veterans' community is diverse; and that there is support and advice available to veterans from both official and voluntary sources.

TRANSPORT

Aviation (Carbon Generation)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will meet the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss alternative taxation to discourage carbon generation by the aviation industry; and what his policy is on such taxation.

Gillian Merron: Tax policy is a matter for Her Majesty's Treasury. The Chancellor keeps all taxation policy under review. Any changes are announced in the context of his Budget statement after giving consideration to all relevant environmental, social and economic factors.

Biofuel Production

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has allocated to encourage biofuel production in the UK in 2006-07.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government are committed to promoting the use of biofuels for road transport as part of our wider programme to combat climate change. The Government's main support is currently in the form of a 20 pence per litre fuel duty incentive, which has stimulated a growing market in the UK, including new UK production facilities.
	The Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO), which we announced last year, will provide significant further support to this industry by ensuring a stable, long-term market for biofuels in the UK. It should mean that by 2010, sales of biofuel will amount to over 2 billion litres, or around 5 per cent. of total petrol and diesel sales. A number of firms have reacted very positively to our announcement and are planning significant investment in UK biofuel production capacity.
	In addition to the RTFO the Chancellor has announced that, subject to European Union State Aid approval, the Government will introduce a 100 per cent. first year capital allowance for the cleanest biofuels production facilities. This should help support innovation and help develop the lowest-carbon biofuels production methods.

Cargo Transfers

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2006,  Official Report, column 377W, on cargo transfers, whether any aspect of ship-to-ship transfers of oil and other chemicals within harbour authority areas requires an order under the Harbours Act 1964.

Stephen Ladyman: It is for individual harbour authorities to determine whether they require a Harbour Revision Order (HRO) to gain powers to conduct operations within their harbours. We have received no applications for an HRO from an English or Welsh harbour authority specifically to enable ship to ship transfers of oil or other chemicals. In the case of harbours in Scotland applications would be made to the Scottish Executive.

Crash Helmets

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motor cyclists' lives he estimates were saved in each of the last 10 years by their crash helmets.

Stephen Ladyman: On the basis of four months' experience of compulsory helmet wearing in 1973, it was estimated that around 200 fatal and serious casualties would be saved per annum. Because helmet wearing is now so long established in the UK, it is no longer possible to calculate further effects on road safety: there is no non-helmet wearing group with which to compare.
	However, US researchers are able to compare helmeted and unhelmeted riders as some states do not have helmet laws. Comparisons have concluded that the use of a safety helmet is the single critical factor in the prevention and reduction of head injury, with unhelmeted riders being 2.4 times as likely to sustain head injuries as helmeted riders.

Departmental Websites

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many websites there are within his responsibilities; and what the total cost of maintaining such websites was in the last year for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport maintains 37 public-facing websites, including those run by our Executive agencies.
	The cost of hosting, maintenance and development (excluding staff costs) of the Department for Transport websites is as follows:
	
		
			  Website  Cost for 2005-06 (£) 
			 www.dft.gov.uk 299,425.71 
			 www.cfit.gov.uk 10,118.00 
			 www.dptac.gov.uk 2,446.95 
			 www.highwaycode.gov.uk 1,568.92 
			 www.utmc.gov.uk (1)3,000 
			 www.webtag.org.uk 6,867.00 
			 www.transportdirect.info 16,019,175.00 
			 www.freightbestpractice.org.uk 37,820.00 
			 www.dft-eb-calculator.co.uk 40,500.00 
			 www.cyclesense.net 50.00 
			 www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk 12,510,90 
			 www.hedgehogs.gov.uk 4,013.34 
			 www.databases.dft.gov.uk/primary 0 
			 www.databases.dft.gov.uk/secondary 0 
			 www.thinkseatbelts.com 1,259.54 
			 www.databases.dft.gov.uk/roadsafety 13,575.00 
			 www.databases.dft.gov.uk/schools 0 
			 www.drugdrive.com 1,000.00 
			 www.cyclesmart.org 4,746.66 
			 www.mcga.gov.uk 16,717.00 
			 www.highways.gov.uk 726,914.65 
			 Highways Agency research compendium site 50,278.00 
			 Highways Traffic Map 227,176.00 
			 www.dvlaregistrations.co.uk 85,768.75 
			 www.dvla.gov.uk 40,000.00 
			 www.dvla.gov.uk/vehiclelicence 88,530.34 
			 www.dvlaonline.gov.uk 68,000.00 
			 www.homezoneschallenge.com 0 
			 www.dsa.gov.uk (2)74,648.00 
			 www.passplus.org.uk (3)DSA website 
			 www.arrive-alive.info (3)DSA website 
			 www.ask-what-if.com (3)DSA website 
			 www.theory-tests.co.uk (3)DSA website 
			 www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk 4,089.00 
			 www.vca.gov.uk 4,589.00 
			 www.vosa.gov.uk (4)n/a 
			 www.transportoffice.gov.uk 459,642.00 
			 www.gcda.gov.uk 1,669.68 
			 Total 18,238,099.44 
			 (1) Approximately. (2) This is the combined figure for all DSA websites. (3) See note 2. (4 )Not available (costs integrated with IT partners solution)

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate how many bottles of water were dispensed to motorists who were trapped on the M25 on 9 June following the incident in the vicinity of junctions eight to 10 and the subsequent closure of the motorway; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Highways Agency Traffic Officers and Surrey police mounted a joint operation, in association with Surrey county council Emergency Planning Services, to provide welfare to motorists caught in queues on the M25 on 9 June. Traffic officers and the police distributed approximately 1,500 0.5 litre bottles of water to motorists, 600 of which were flown in by police helicopter.

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total duration in hours was of closures of the M25  (a) clockwise and  (b) anti-clockwise in each of the past six months; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Closures are implemented on the M25 for either planned works or in response to an incident. Closures are only implemented if they are necessary to secure the safety of the travelling public, road workers or those responding to incidents. Wherever possible closures are managed to minimise disruption to the travelling public with all planned closures being undertaken at night. The following tables show the number of planned and incident-related closures on the M25 during the last six months.
	
		
			  Planned works (night time) 
			   Clockwise  Anti-clockwise 
			   Number  Time (hours)  Number  Total time (hours) 
			  2005 
			 December 0 0 0 0 
			  
			  2006 
			 January 0 0 1 5 
			 February 0 0 0 0 
			 March 0 0 3 15 
			 April 0 0 1 5 
			 May 0 0 6 30 
			 Total — 0 — 55 
		
	
	
		
			  Incident related closures 
			   Clockwise  Anti-clockwise 
			   Number  Time (hours)  Number  Total time (hours) 
			  2005 
			 December 0 0 0 0 
			  
			  2006 
			 January 2 11 1 3 
			 February 1 0.5 2 5.5 
			 March 1 0.5 1 0.5 
			 April 1 3 3 9.5 
			 May 1 3 6 9 
			 Total — 18 — 27.5

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what lessons relating to  (a) evacuation of the motorway,  (b) minimising the jam of vehicles and  (c) other related matters were drawn from the incident in the vicinity of junctions 29 and 31 of the M25 on 17 March 2004; to what extent these lessons were applied to the incident on the M25 between junctions 8 and 10 on 9 June 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Although the circumstances of the incidents on 17 March 2004 and 9 June 2006 were significantly different, lessons learnt from incidents such as that in 2004 have enabled the Highways Agency to better manage the recent event. The nature of the earlier incident enabled traffic to pass safely the site of the accident; the more recent one resulted in fire and damage to infrastructure which prevented this from taking place.
	Since 2004 the Highways Agency has improved capability for the evacuation of the motorway through detailed and tested joint operating procedures with the local emergency services in the event of a major incident. It has also developed detailed incident management procedures such as the capability to implement rearward relief; the process by which trapped vehicles are turned on the carriageway and returned to the previous exit. These procedures include the support and welfare of motorists where they cannot be assisted from the site.
	The period since the 2004 incident has seen significant developments in the Highways Agency's capability to minimise congestion caused by incidents. The introduction of Regional Control Centres as part of the Traffic Officer Service and the commencement of the National Traffic Control Centre provide an ability to divert traffic away from an incident through strategic signing, and around an incident through tactical signing and direction.
	The Highways Agency has substantially strengthened its ability to detect and respond to incidents and reduce the resulting congestion. The Traffic Officer Service on the M25 and other motorways is enabling significantly increased resources to be more quickly available at the scene to support the management of the incidents. Traffic officers worked well with emergency services on 9 June to minimise the duration of the incident and quickly restore the motorway to a safe condition. The emergency procedures were implemented and motorists received both welfare and medical assistance as necessary.
	The Highways Agency has continued to develop its Incident Support Unit service on the M25 and, following its successful contribution to incident management on the M25, implemented similar services on most of the strategic road network. In addition Regional Control Centres are proactively monitoring the road network quickly to detect incidents and improve communication between responders with the aim of reducing the clearance time.
	All major incidents are reviewed soon afterwards jointly by the Highways Agency and emergency services to identify lessons to be learnt in dealing with future incidents. There is an ongoing programme to continually develop incident management capability including innovations such as central reserve screens to prevent visual distraction of motorists on adjacent carriageways and specialist equipment to support the clear-up operation.

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will  (a) place in the Library and  (b) supply to the hon. Member for Thurrock a copy of the full report into the incident between junctions 29 and 30 of the M25 on the 17 and 18 March 2004 which was prepared by Mr. Paul McCreevy, M25 Route Manager North at the Highways Agency;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the hold-up of traffic flows on the M25 consequent to the accident in the vicinity of junctions 29 and 31 on 17 March 2004; what the maximum length in miles was of the resulting traffic queues; what the duration was of the hold-up; what actions were taken by  (a) the Highways Agency and  (b) Essex and Kent Police (i) to advise motorists of the hold-up and (ii) to ameliorate the delay and congestion; at what time each such action was taken; and why the answers to these questions were not supplied in the executive summary of the report by Mr. Paul McCreevy on the incident placed in the Library and supplied to the hon. Member for Thurrock following his Question answered on 24 March 2004,  Official Report, column 982W, on the M25.

Stephen Ladyman: The maximum length of traffic queuing on the M25 as a result of the incident on 17 March 2004 was 14 miles on the clockwise carriageway and 11 miles on the anti-clockwise carriageway. The maximum length of the traffic queuing on the A128, which was used as the diversion route, was 6 miles.
	The M25 clockwise carriageway was closed for 22 hours. The anti-clockwise carriageway was also closed for 1.5 hours for safety reasons while the tanker was being removed.
	The Highways Agency advised motorists of the incident and delays by providing radio stations and news media with regular updates, and their website and Information Line also provided up-to-the-minute information. Television and press representatives were invited to the incident scene by Essex police to observe the recovery operation.
	The Highways Agency repaired the nearside boundary fence and used a specialist environmental sub-contractor to clean the road surface. This enabled the carriageway to be opened safely for the public after the vehicles and debris had been removed.
	Essex police carried out the incident investigation, co-ordinated the recovery operation, and set the diversion signs. They also allowed the trapped clockwise traffic between junction 29 and the incident to escape using lanes 2 and 3. Throughout the duration of the closure, the variable message signs advised motorists that this section of the M25 motorway was closed. Contractors undertaking road works on the A128 were contacted by Essex police and agreed to change the mechanism of temporary traffic lights at the road works in order to give priority to diverted traffic travelling south from the M25.
	An Executive Summary and full report were produced at the time of the incident. The summary was a chronological log of events on the day detailing agencies involved and actions taken to clear the incident. A full copy of the report has been sent to my hon. Friend by the Highways Agency, and copies of the document have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average time was for which motorists were detained on the M25 on Friday 9 June following the incident in the vicinity of junctions 8 to 10 and the subsequent closure of the motorway; what the maximum length of time was for which motorists were so detained in the  (a) clockwise and  (b) anti-clockwise direction; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: As a consequence of a heavy goods vehicle catching fire on 9 June, the M25 was closed in both directions to ensure the safety of the travelling public and emergency services dealing with the incident. Under the direction of Highways Agency Traffic Officers, a number of vehicles that had already passed the exit slip roads at junction 9 were turned around and were then able to use the available diversion routes.
	The Highways Agency estimates that for the majority of vehicles this exercise was undertaken on both carriageways within 2 to 3 hours of the incident occurring.
	Some heavy goods vehicles on the clockwise carriageway were too long to turn around and these vehicles remained on the motorway for approximately five hours.
	Emergency procedures were implemented to assist motorists who were trapped between motorway exits and the incident, with water provided and medical assistance given to those in need.

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated number is of  (a) vehicles and  (b) passengers who were trapped on the M25 on 9 June following an incident in the vicinity of junctions 8 to 10; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: As a consequence of a heavy goods vehicle catching fire on 9 June the M25 was closed in both directions to ensure the safety of the travelling public and emergency services dealing with the incident. Following the closure some vehicles were prevented from continuing with their journey to the next exit of the motorway.
	The Highways Agency estimates that approximately 1,000 vehicles and 1,200 drivers and passengers were affected in this way.
	Emergency procedures were implemented to assist motorists who were trapped between motorway exits following the incident with water provided and medical assistance given to those in need.

Noise Nuisance (Essex)

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress is being made in reducing the noise nuisance caused by train horns in Ardleigh, Essex; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 22 June 2006
	Network Rail has been served a noise abatement order by Tendring district council regarding train horn noise at Ardleigh. As this now constitutes a legal process I am unable to comment further.
	More generally, and in response to public concern at the levels of train horn noise, the rail industry is reconsidering arrangements for the use and application of train horns. A steering group has been set up under the leadership of the Rail Safety and Standards Board to oversee the review and includes representatives from Network Rail and train operators.

Rail Safety

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many signals passed at danger were recorded in each Network Rail Region in each of the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: Information on signals passed at danger is published on a quarterly basis by the Office of Rail Regulation. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

South West Trains

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the current operational performance of South West Trains; and how many complaints he has received from rail users' groups in Hampshire about failures to operate timetabled services; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The South Western franchise replacement process included a "base-lining" exercise undertaken in 2005, in which performance for South West Trains was reviewed. This showed that operational performance had increased significantly since the December 2004 timetable change under the Public Performance Measure (PPM) which records the percentage of trains arriving within five minutes of their planned destination arrival time. The moving annual average of the PPM statistic rose from 75 per cent. in July 2004 to 87 per cent. by September 2005, and currently stands at 90 per cent.
	The Department for Transport has recently received an extensive report from the South Hampshire Rail Users Group setting out a range of complaints associated with the current South West Trains franchise. A response will be made shortly to this specific letter.

South West Trains

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria were used in making the decision to reduce services on the  (a) Salisbury to Southampton and  (b) Reading to Brighton lines.

Derek Twigg: The decision to change these services was made during the replacement process for the South Western franchises. The replacement process offers the opportunity to review current service levels, and to assess whether value for money is delivered for passengers and taxpayers by their operation.
	The South Western franchise has specified that there will be a regular half-hourly service operating between Salisbury and Southampton. This will be formed of the existing Cardiff-Portsmouth hourly service, and a new hourly service that has been created by extending the current Romsey-Totton operation; this creates a net increase in services between Salisbury and Southampton despite a small reduction in Greater Western trains.
	The decision to remove services between Reading and Brighton via Eastleigh has been specified in the South Western franchise. Surveys were conducted in September 2005 that confirmed the low utilisation of this service, and the Department for Transport's standard appraisal methods confirmed that the withdrawal of the service represents good value for money.
	Most journeys on this service occur on stations between Basingstoke and Eastleigh, and along the South Coast between Havant and Brighton. A new service is proposed to operate between Brighton and Southampton. The specification does not preclude providing a service between Havant and Eastleigh in the future to meet proposed developments or in response to customer demand, subject to the franchisee's commercial position and Network Rail's operational assessment.

Thames Gateway

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what expenditure is planned on improving rail links between central London and the Thames Gateway area.

Derek Twigg: The Channel Tunnel Rail Link has been constructed from central London to the Kent coast through the southern part of the Thames Gateway at a cost of £5.2 billion. Domestic rail services from Kent, including those in the growth area, will be making use of this new infrastructure from December 2009.
	In 2001 the Department of Transport approved a grant of £154 million to finance the development and parliamentary process for the Crossrail scheme. This will serve the Thames Gateway, providing links from Shenfield, Essex and Abbey Wood, south east London through to Stratford, Docklands, central London, Heathrow and on to the Thames Valley. The Department of Transport has also provided funding support to the Mayor to provide extensions to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).
	The GLA and the Mayor are working with TfL to consider the transport implications of growth in the Thames Gateway that falls within the Greater London area.

Trunk Road Islands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what penalties can be enforced against the Highways Agency for failing to maintain trunk road islands.

Stephen Ladyman: As long as trunks roads islands are within the boundaries of the highway, they are part of the highway and for maintenance are treated as such. Enforcement of liability for maintenance is covered under section 56 of the Highways Act 1980. An application can be made to the magistrates court under that section of the Highways Act 1980 for an order to keep a highway in repair. If the repair is not carried out within the stipulated period the court can by order authorise the complainant to carry out the works and he can recover the costs incurred as a civil debt from the highways authority.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has given to the Afghan Government to provide basic services to the population throughout the country; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID's aid programme to Afghanistan (£102 million in 2006-07) supports three of the Afghan Government's own objectives, as set out in their Interim National Development Strategy: (i) Building effective state institutions; (ii) improving economic management and the effectiveness of aid to Afghanistan; and (iii) improving the livelihoods of rural poor. These are the key steps needed in Afghanistan to generate a self-sustaining state with the capacity to meet basic social needs and start the process of reducing poverty.
	The UK is currently the largest donor to the Government's recurrent budget through allocations to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund. This covers recurrent costs such as salaries for teachers and health workers. This is the support the Afghan Government wants, and is the best chance for building effective state institutions that will last and are able to deliver basic services across the country.
	The UK also supports a number of key Government of Afghanistan National Programmes, which focus on improving the livelihoods of the rural poor. The National Solidarity Programme (NSP) for example, helps local communities to identify their own needs and provides the means to meet them. Often this includes the provision of basic service infrastructure such as schools and health centres.
	DFID also provides 19 per cent. of the EC's commitment to Afghanistan of 1 billion euros (2002-06) and over 10 per cent. of the World Banks Commitment of $250-300 million a year. DFID also contributes to UN agencies. These partners are all actively engaged in the delivery of basic services across the country.

Bali Peace Agreement

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid the UK Government plan to provide to the  (a) East Timorese and  (b) Indonesians following the Bali peace agreement.

Hilary Benn: DFID will provide £6 million to East Timor between 2006 and 2009. The bulk of this sum will be spent implementing the National Development Plan which focuses upon poverty reduction and providing better services to poor communities. We are also considering a substantial contribution to help strengthen financial management within Government.
	In response to the recent unrest we have provided £110,000 to help alleviate the poor conditions within the refugee camps, which were set up following the recent disturbances in the country. DFID continues to monitor developments there closely and we stand ready to consider further support. We are particularly interested in programmes which promote longer-term peace and stability by addressing the causes of tension and by strengthening dispute resolution processes.
	DFID's programme to Indonesia for this year will total £41.5 million. Of this sum, £18.5 million will finance tsunami reconstruction work in Aceh, and a further £3 million has been made available for the relief effort following the earthquake in Jogjakarta last month.
	In Indonesia DFID, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have developed a joint strategy under the Global Conflict Prevention (GCPP) to help establish the conditions in which causes of inter-communal violent conflict can be addressed and a reduction in conflict secured. As part of this strategy, DFID has provided £4.2 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)'s Crisis Prevention and Recovery Unit (CPRU).

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  when the policy review of providing aid to internally displaced people in Burma is expected to be completed;
	(2)  what studies he has evaluated on the accountability and effectiveness of cross-border aid to internally displaced people in Burma.

Gareth Thomas: DFID intends to carry out the review of its support to internally displaced people in Burma and refugees on the Thai-Burma border before the end of 2006.
	The most recent review of DFID's role on the Thai-Burma border was carried out in June 2004. I have arranged for copies of the document entitled 'Executive Summary to review of DFID's work on the Thai-Burma Border' to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Gaza

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what response the UK has made to the recent UN appeal for £205 million for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Hilary Benn: DFID continues to work with both the UN and the European Commission to ensure the most effective and co-ordinated international response to the worsening humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. It is our assessment that the most effective way to address this will be through the Temporary International Mechanism.

Indonesian Earthquake (Aid)

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the EU has pledged to the emergency response to the Indonesian earthquake; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID has pledged £5 million towards the relief effort, including £1 million to the International Federation of the Red Cross, £3 million to the United Nations (UN) agencies and £1 million to non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The £1 million to UK NGOs is made up of £400,000 to Oxfam, £400,000 to Save the Children Fund and £200,000 to Handicap International. DFID's contributions will be used for shelter, health, water and sanitation, emergency packs of essential items for affected families, and livelihoods.
	The European Commission (EC) has pledged €3 million to the emergency response. Approximately 17-17.5 per cent. is attributed to the UK which roughly equates to €518,000. The total pledged to date by the European Union member states including the EC is €20.79 million.

Natural Disaster Facility

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the UK's contribution to the ACP-EU Natural Disaster Facility was in 2005-06; what it is planned to be in each of the next three financial years; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)—European Community (EC) Council of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on 24-25 June 2005, agreed to establish a Natural Disaster Facility to support regional initiatives in disaster reduction, mitigation and preparedness in the ACP countries. An initial sum of €12 million (approximately £8 million) was allocated from the 9(th) European development fund (EDF) to support programmes in the period up to the end of December 2007. The UK share of this assistance is 12.7 per cent. (approximately €1.5 million or £1 million). Further support is envisaged under the 10(th) EDF, which will be committed over the period 2008-13. The UK's share of the 10(th) EDF will be 14.82 per cent.

Occupied Territories

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the temporary international finance mechanism to deliver aid to the Occupied Territories is expected to become operational.

Hilary Benn: On 16 June, the European Council issued a declaration finalising the details of a temporary international mechanism to help support Palestinians' basic needs. The European Commission is urgently taking this forward and expects payments to front-line health workers to begin by mid-July. The World Bank, which will ultimately assume management of the mechanism, expects its operation to be ready in August.

Occupied Territories

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the criteria will be for the three-month review of the temporary international finance mechanism to deliver aid to the Occupied Territories; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The criteria for reviewing the temporary international mechanism are yet to be agreed. Responsibility for this lies with the Consultative Group of organisations and countries who are overseeing the management of the mechanism.

Occupied Territories

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in what proportion the temporary international finance mechanism to deliver aid to the Occupied Territories will support  (a) essential supplies,  (b) social services,  (c) health,  (d) education and  (e) utilities.

Hilary Benn: It has not yet been decided how donor contributions will be divided between the three main channels of support: for the health sector; support for the uninterrupted supply of utilities; and basic needs allowances to meet the essential needs of the poorest segments of the population. The European Commission and the World Bank are urgently undertaking preliminary design work on the temporary international mechanism that will enable donors to determine how their contributions will be used.
	The European Commission will contribute €104 million to the mechanism and has invited European Union member states to announce their contributions shortly. We encourage other donors to contribute. The UK will make a contribution of up to £12 million.

Occupied Territories

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  which states and organisations will contribute to the temporary international finance mechanism to deliver aid to the Occupied Territories;
	(2)  what funds  (a) the UK,  (b) other European member states and  (c) other members of the Quartet will provide to the temporary international finance mechanism to deliver aid to the Occupied Territories.

Hilary Benn: The mechanism is open to any donor that wishes to contribute. We are expecting individual European Union member states to release statements regarding their contributions shortly. The UK encourages other donors to contribute.
	The European Commission's financing plan for the mechanism is in the order of €104 million. The UK Government will contribute up to £12 million to be disbursed once the mechanism is fully operational.

Occupied Territories

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of  (a) the humanitarian situation,  (b) access to essential services and  (c) rates of poverty and extreme poverty in (i) the West Bank and (ii) Gaza.

Hilary Benn: DFID is keeping close track of the humanitarian situation in the West Bank and Gaza through the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA). With assistance from DFID, the UN OCHA has produced the first Monthly Humanitarian Monitor. The main messages from this report are that poverty is rising, particularly among families which depended on salaries or cash payments from the Palestinian Authority and there are emerging problems in the health sector with a number of essential drugs now out of stock. The full report is available online at:
	http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/UN_HumanitarianMonitor_May06.pdf

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider ways to improve the opportunities for the public to raise their concern about antisocial behaviour with  (a) local authorities and  (b) police authorities.

Tony McNulty: To tackle antisocial behaviour effectively, local agencies like local authorities and police authorities need to listen to and act upon community concerns and priorities, reporting back on what has been done.
	The Police and Justice Bill contains provisions for the "Community Call for Action" which will enable local residents to trigger action where community safety partners have failed to address a persistent local problem. The Bill places a duty on a local councillor to respond to a call for action. Where the issue cannot be resolved by informal means, the councillor would be able to refer the matter to the local authority overview and scrutiny committee for consideration. The Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) or Community Safety Partnership (CSP) in Wales on which both local authorities and police authorities are partners would have to respond to any report of the scrutiny committee, and to explain any decision not to take action. Under the terms of the Police and Justice Bill, the commencement of the relevant provisions in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.
	"Face the People" sessions will also be delivered through the provisions in the Police and Justice Bill and will require senior representatives of the CDRP or CSP to hold regular question and answer sessions open to the public and the media. These sessions will provide the opportunity for local communities to raise issues of concern and ask questions regarding the CDRP's or CSP's work. The requirement would be introduced by regulations arising from an order made jointly by the Home Secretary and the National Assembly for Wales.

Bail Hostels

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he used for establishing which bail hostels are near schools and should not be used for sex offenders.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Accommodating certain offenders on licence in approved premises, formerly probation and bail hostels, is an important public protection measure. In approved premises, offenders may be closely supervised and monitored, to ensure compliance with their licence conditions.
	There has been concern about the housing of child sex offenders in approved premises adjacent to schools and nurseries. In order to maintain public confidence in our systems for managing the risks posed by such offenders, I took the decision that child sex offenders should no longer be housed in approved premises that are immediately adjacent to schools and nurseries.

Bail Hostels

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of residents at the bail hostel in Wesleyan road, Peterborough are sex offenders.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The number of sex offenders accommodated in any approved premises, formerly bail and probation hostels, will vary at any one time. Statistical information about the type of offences committed by offenders residing at an approved premises at any one time is not collected centrally.

Bail Hostels

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many former prisoners were resident at the bail hostel in Wesleyan road, Peterborough on  (a) 31 December 2004,  (b) 31 December 2005 and  (c) 31 May 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The number of residents on post release licences from custody at the Peterborough approved premises was as follows:
	
		
			Number 
			  (a) 31 December 2004 24 
			  (b) 31 December 2005 26 
			  (c) 28 February 2006 27 
			  Note:  Latest date available was 28 February.

Fingerprint Centres

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment was made of the pilot project for fingerprint centres for recovered stolen  (a) cars and  (b) other moveable property; and what conclusions were reached.

Tony McNulty: The Metropolitan Police Service utilised one of the fingerprint development laboratories funded by the Home Office's Police Standards Unit. The part they played regarding recovered stolen vehicles was internally assessed by the force and the findings presented to the Police Standards Unit, the Government Office of London (the co-sponsor) and finally to the House of Lords European Secure Vehicle Alliance Parliamentary Group at a plenary session on the 5 November 2003 and a general meeting on 10 September 2003. The laboratories themselves are deemed particularly successful at reducing the time from crime to analysis, and we were informed the force intended extending this approach across more of the force area.

Illegal Immigration

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants are living in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Home Affairs Committee by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 23 May 2006. No UK Government has been able to answer with accuracy because (a) successive Governments inherit an unknown number from its predecessor and (b) no complete records exist of the number of people who leave the country.

Knife Crime

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been found guilty of wounding someone with a knife in each of the last five years; and how many of these received a prison sentence.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The specific information requested is not available as we are unable to differentiate between the weapon(s) used in the various offences of wounding when supplying data.

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police units were deployed from (i) Surrey police, (ii) Metropolitan police and (iii) Kent police at the incident in the vicinity of junctions 8 to 10 of the M25 and its subsequent closure on 9 June.

Tony McNulty: I understand that the incident was dealt with only by Surrey police. The Metropolitan police and the Kent police were notified but did not attend. Surrey deployed both police officers and road policing community support officers, 27 in total. 14 police motor vehicles, one police helicopter and four police motorcycles were deployed.

Manor Lodge Approved Premises

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders Manor Lodge Approved Premises in Old Windsor could accommodate  (a) before and  (b) after refurbishment; and what percentage of sex offenders could be accommodated in each case.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Manor Lodge Approved Premises could accommodate 22 offenders prior to refurbishment.
	 (b) After refurbishment the Approved Premises could accommodate 24 offenders.
	 (c) The number of sex offenders accommodated in any Approved Premises, formerly bail and probation hostels, will vary at any one time.

Mohammad Sidique Khan

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what information his Department received from the United States Administration on Mohammad Sidique Khan; and on what dates;
	(2)  whether his Department was informed by US authorities that Mohammad Sidique Khan was barred from entering the United States.

Tony McNulty: It is our policy not to comment on speculation about specific intelligence matters.

Offenders (Licensed Release)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders on licence have been given permission to travel abroad in each of the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Passports

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what rules the Passport Office applies regarding the length of names.

Joan Ryan: The space available for the data fields on the personal details page of the passport is limited by International Civil Aviation Organisation standards. In the British passport this allows 30 characters for the surname plus 30 characters for forenames. Longer names are abbreviated on the personal details page and shown in full on the observations page.

Passports

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1319W, on passports, whether other biometrics will be stored on the Passport Agency Support System; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The Passport Agency Support System (PASS) only stores the facial image of the passport holder. In the future additional biometrics such as finger images will be collected. There are no current plans for these to be stored in PASS; an evaluation is in progress to decide the most suitable technical architecture solution for this purpose.

Police

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his written ministerial statement of 21 March 2006,  Official Report, column 15WS, on police force restructuring, when he expects to make a report to the House on plans to restructure police forces in the South West.

Tony McNulty: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, announced on 19 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 1057-62, that he would not be laying any orders for Home Secretary-initiated police force mergers before the summer recess. This will allow for further discussion and dialogue with police forces and police authorities on the best way forward, including in the South West.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dogs were deployed by  (a) Essex police,  (b) the Metropolitan police,  (c) City of London police and  (d) Hertfordshire constabulary in each of the last five years for which information is available, broken down by type; for what purpose they were employed by each force; what the cost of keeping the dogs was in each year in each case; and how many dog handlers were employed by each force in each year.

Tony McNulty: Information for the number of dog handlers employed by each force is given in the table.
	
		
			  Police officers and staff (fte)( 1)  who based on their primary function are recorded as being dog handlers( 2) 
			   31 March 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Essex 45 46 46 45 48 
			 Hertfordshire 29 28 28 26 26 
			 London, City of 15 17 18 17 18 
			 Metropolitan police 226 201 192 221 229 
			 (1) This table includes full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number.  (2 )Dog handlers includes those staff employed for general policing, drugs and explosive detection duties. Figures are based on the primary role/function of staff, including those staff with multiple responsibilities. 
		
	
	The other information that has been requested is not collected centrally.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been issued on the circumstances in which it is appropriate for a police officer to use a caution for the first offence of a person exceeding the speed limit, rather than pressing charges; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Where a driver is detected committing a speeding offence it is an operational matter for the police to decide what action to take in the circumstances of that particular case. A number of courses are possible, including no further action, oral warning, caution, fixed penalty or report for prosecution.
	The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has issued Speed Enforcement Guidelines, available on the ACPO website (www.acpo.police.uk). Elements of this guidance are also included in a section on speed enforcement in the Home Office's Revised Guidance on the Operation of the Fixed Penalty System for Offences in Respect of a Vehicle, available on the Home Office website, www.homeoffice.gov.uk. These documents provide guidance only and do not replace police discretion in individual cases.

Prison Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the  (a) timing and  (b) conclusions of the most recent review by the director of personnel at HM Prison Service on the arrangements for dealing with investigations under Prison Service Order 1300;
	(2)  when the Prison Service Management Board last reviewed the arrangements for investigations under Prison Service Order 1300; and what the conclusions of the board were.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The last formal review of PSO 1300 was carried out, under the direction of the deputy director general, in early 2003. As a result of this review, a revised version of PSO 1300 was published on 19 June 2003. In May 2005, the Prison Service Management Board asked the directorate of personnel to review Prison Service Order 8460, Conduct and Discipline. This review is still ongoing.

Prison Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role the Prison Service London area manager has in relation to the multi-agency public protection arrangements strategic management boards that fall within his area.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1846W.

Prison Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks are made by Prison Service area offices to ensure that data submitted for the purpose of performance management are correct; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Area offices are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of performance management data. New guidance has been issued which sets out with greater clarity what must be recorded. The data are collated monthly and are discussed when area managers visit establishments and at their regular bilateral meetings with the director of operations. The data will continue to be validated by line management controls and by both a self-audit process and independent audit.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the investigation of the previous governor of HM Prison Brixton; what the nature was of the  (a) allegation and  (b) investigation; and what the reason was for the subsequent transfer to the Home Office.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It would be inappropriate to comment while an investigation is ongoing.

Prisons

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether  (a) escape from closed prisons and  (b) absconding from open prisons are criminal offences; and what the penalties are for escaping from each type of prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Escape from lawful custody is an indictable offence at common law, punishable by an unlimited fine or imprisonment.

Prisons

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are in prison, broken down by  (a) length of sentence and  (b) category of offence; and what the date was of the most recent prison population data capture.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The most recent published data on  (a) length of sentence and  (b) category of offence, are for the prison population as at the end of April 2006 and can be found on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/prisapr06. pdf, tables 1 and 2.

Public Disorder

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were found guilty of  (a) drunken and disorderly behaviour and  (b) drunken and aggravated behaviour in (i) England, (ii) Bury St. Edmunds constituency and (iii) the Suffolk county council area in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing how many offenders were found guilty of drunkenness offences in England and Suffolk police force area are in the following table. We are unable to provide convictions for Bury St. Edmunds constituency, as the data are not available at the level of detail required.
	Figures for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for drunkenness simple and drunkenness aggravated offences in (a) England, and (b) Suffolk police force area, 1997-2004( 1) 
			1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  England  
			 Convictions Drunkenness, simple 3,333 3,710 3,134 2,579 2,424 2,201 1,999 1,674 
			 Convictions Drunkenness, with aggravation—found guilty 22,474 23,864 22,764 22,078 21,468 22,741 23,893 17,550 
			 Penalty notices Drunk and disorderly behaviour (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 25,591 
			   
			  Suffolk  
			 Convictions Drunkenness, simple 109 92 99 72 54 61 64 87 
			 Convictions Drunkenness, with aggravation—found guilty 254 194 197 202 244 301 317 293 
			 Penalty notices Drunk and disorderly behaviour (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 267 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2) Figures not applicable, as penalty notices were not introduced until 2004.   Source:  RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Railway/Underground Crime

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes have been reported at each London Underground station in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: I have been asked to reply.
	
		
			   Notifiable offences  Million passenger journeys  Offences/million passenger journey 
			 2001-02(1) 13,746 953 14.42 
			 2002-03 17,360 942 18.42 
			 2003-04 17,490 948 18.45 
			 2004-05 17,394 976 17.82 
			 2005-06(2) 17,124 971 17.63 
			 (1) 2001-02 data cannot be meaningful compared with subsequent years as on 1 April 2002 the BTP adopted the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) which saw an increase in recorded crime, equating to an average 22 per cent. increase recorded by all police forces across England and Wales.  (2) The 2005-06 figure for notifiable offences includes 231 offences committed on 7 July 2005. 
		
	
	A table providing data broken down by each London Underground station has been placed in the Library of the House.

Reoffending

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the possible correlation between re-offending rates and participation by inmates in an enhanced thinking skills course in prison; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is considerable evidence, originating mainly from North America, to support the effectiveness of offending behaviour programmes in reducing re-offending (McGuire, 2002; Pearson et. al., 2002; Lipton, et. al., 1998). However, UK research examining the effectiveness of the Enhanced Thinking Skills programme in prisons has produced mixed results. An evaluation of the programme before it was accredited found that reconviction fell considerably after treatment (Friendship et. al., 2002). Further studies since accreditation have found no differences in reconvictions between programme participants and matched comparison groups (Falshaw et. al., 2003; Cann et. al., 2003). These findings might be explained by differences in programme delivery and implementation or research design limitations. The current Home Office research programme includes further research on the effectiveness of offending behaviour programmes based on more effective and rigorous research designs.

Road Deaths (Police Investigation)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) average and  (b) longest time taken for a police investigation into a road death was in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: This information is not generally recorded by the police. Incidents are dealt with in accordance with the "Road Death Investigation Manual", published by the Association of Chief Police Officers. The investigation and its duration will, however, vary according to the specific circumstances of the incident concerned and the issues raised.

Road Deaths (Police Investigation)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sanctions are available to the police to use against  (a) individuals,  (b) organisations and  (c) councils who do not fully co-operate and disclose all information requested in connection with police investigations into road accidents that result in death; and how often such sanctions were applied in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: Generally, anyone who resists or wilfully obstructs a constable in the exercise of his duty is guilty of an offence under section 89(2), Police Act 1996. As regards motoring offences, including those which may have resulted in a fatal accident, the police are empowered under section 172, Road Traffic Act 1988 to ask the registered vehicle keeper who was driving it at the time, and it is an offence not to give that information if possible. Under section 99, Transport Act 1968, the police can examine and copy records relating to commercial vehicles and their drivers. It is an offence not to provide those records, which may provide information relevant to an accident investigation, or to obstruct the police. Details of the circumstances in which police exercise these powers and in which offences are committed are not recorded.

Road Safety

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for persons using hand-held mobile telephones while driving in each year since the regulation came into force, broken down by constabulary.

Vernon Coaker: Available information on fixed penalty notices relating to all offences of obstruction, waiting and parking within the Staffordshire police force area during the calendar years 2000 to 2004 (latest available) is given in the table. It is not possible from the data collected centrally to identify the Trent Valley Division within the geographical area covered by the Staffordshire police force.
	Information for 2005 will be available early in 2007.
	
		
			  Findings of guilt at magistrates courts for the offence of use of hand-held mobile phone while driving( 1)  by police force area, England and Wales, 2003-04 
			   Total findings of guilt 
			  Police force area  2003  2004 
			 Avon and Somerset — 19 
			 Bedfordshire 1 5 
			 Cambridgeshire — 6 
			 Cheshire — 1 
			 Cleveland — 3 
			 Cumbria — 24 
			 Derbyshire — 16 
			 Devon and Cornwall — 17 
			 Dorset — — 
			 Durham — 1 
			 Essex — 25 
			 Gloucestershire — 1 
			 Greater Manchester — 65 
			 Hampshire — 15 
			 Hertfordshire — 6 
			 Humberside — 4 
			 Kent — — 
			 Lancashire — 16 
			 Leicestershire — 9 
			 Lincolnshire — 5 
			 London, City of — 5 
			 Merseyside — 20 
			 Metropolitan Police — 124 
			 Norfolk — 15 
			 Northamptonshire — — 
			 Northumbria — 29 
			 North Yorkshire — 18 
			 Nottinghamshire — 7 
			 South Yorkshire — 12 
			 Staffordshire — 10 
			 Suffolk — 4 
			 Surrey — 7 
			 Sussex — 1 
			 Thames Valley — 21 
			 Warwickshire — 7 
			 West Mercia — 15 
			 West Midlands — 52 
			 West Yorkshire — 9 
			 Wiltshire — 19 
			 Dyfed Powys — 13 
			 Gwent — — 
			 North Wales — 3 
			 South Wales — 12 
			 England and Wales 1 641 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110 (1), 110 (2) and 110 (3) introduced 1 December 2003.   Source:  Court Proceedings Database.

Rural Crime

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) burglaries,  (b) offences involving violence against the person,  (c) sexual offences and  (d) car and property crimes there were in rural areas in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is given in the tables. The figures cover the 13 police force areas described as either 'most rural' or 'least rural' according to "A Classification Of Residential Neighbourhoods (ACORN)". The 13 forces are: Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall, Durham, Dyfed-Powys, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, North Wales, West Mercia and Wiltshire.
	Further details regarding ACORN classifications are given in Appendix B of Home Office Statistical Bulletin 01/02 entitled "Rural Crime". A copy of this publication is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb102.pdf
	
		
			  Table 1: Recorded crime in rural areas—1997 
			  Offence  Number of offences 
			 Burglary 135,099 
			 Violence against the person 37,189 
			 Sexual offences 5,709 
			 Vehicle crime 145,293 
			 All property crime 582,798 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Recorded crime in rural areas—1998-99 to 2001-02 
			  Number of offences 
			  Offence  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Burglary 125,115 120,103 107,840 116,041 
			 Violence against the person 69,985 77,990 75,651 94,035 
			 Sexual offences 5,370 5,183 5,010 6,016 
			 Vehicle crime 129,764 123,106 109,943 110,416 
			 All property crime 593,222 593,478 562,557 612,380 
			  Notes:  1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997.  2. The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Recorded crime in rural areas—2002-03 to 2004-05 
			  Number of offences 
			  Offence  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Burglary 121,246 110,676 92,964 
			 Violence against the person 137,324 149,306 158,184 
			 Sexual offences 7,412 8,219 9,318 
			 Vehicle crime 115,857 104,586 88,084 
			 All property crime 666,932 658,533 606,200 
			  Notes:  1. The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.  2. The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.

Security Service Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of the Security Service Act 1989; what recent representations he has received about the operation of this Act; and whether he has plans to amend this Act.

Tony McNulty: I have received no representations on the operation of the Security Service Act 1989 and there are no plans to amend it at present.

Terrorism Act

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people  (a) arrested,  (b) charged and  (c) convicted under the Terrorism Act 2000 were (i) Muslim, (ii) British and (iii) foreign.

Tony McNulty: Statistics on arrests, charges and convictions under the Terrorism Act (2000) are available on the Home Office website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/terrorism-act
	These statistics are provided by the police and are not broken down in the way requested.

Travel Documentation (Ireland-England)

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the documentation requirements are for a British citizen wishing to travel between England and the Republic of Ireland.

Joan Ryan: Travel between the UK and Ireland is subject to the provisions of the Common Travel Area (CTA). Section 1(3) of the Immigration Act 1971 gives the CTA full statutory basis in UK legislation and allows for control-free travel for British citizens to or from Ireland. The only documentation requirements that British citizens may encounter are those imposed by travel operators as part of their conditions of carriage and/or those imposed by the Irish Government on arrival in Ireland.

Young Offenders

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average cost of  (a) keeping a non-violent young offender in prison, broken down by prison category, and  (b) alternatives to custody of non-violent young offenders was in each of the last five years.
	(2)  what the total cost to his Department of  (a) keeping non-violent young offenders in prison and  (b) alternatives to custody of non-violent young offenders was for each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Prison Service does not collect cost data in the format requested.

Young Offenders

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has undertaken on comparative recidivism rates of alternatives to custody and imprisonment for  (a) non-violent young offenders and  (b) non-violent offenders.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Re-offending rates for adults and juveniles, including re-offending rates by disposal, are published annually on the Home Office website. The latest reports are:
	"Re-offending of adults: results from the 2002 cohort" (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 25/05) and
	"Re-offending of juveniles: results from the 2004 cohort" (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 10/06).
	Re-offending rates vary considerably by type of disposal and some of this can be explained by the differences in the characteristics of offenders given each disposal. For instance, the number of previous offences is one of the key indicators for predicting re-offending and these differ substantially between disposals. For reasons such as this, the rates cannot be used to judge the effectiveness of different sentences. Analysis of re-offending by disposal is discussed further on pages seven to nine of the report on adults and pages eight to 10 of the report on juveniles.

Young Offenders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date Lee Wagstaff died in HM Young Offenders Institution Hindley; what his age was at the time of death; and what the  (a) date and  (b) result was of the coroner's inquest.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Lee Wagstaff tragically died at HMYOI Hindley on 17 January 1997, aged 17. The coroner's inquest was held on 24 March 1998, and the jury returned a unanimous verdict that the deceased had taken his own life while the balance of his mind was disturbed.

Young Offenders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children with an assessment of vulnerability were sent to young offenders' institutions in 2004-05.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Figures provided by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales show that during the period April 2004—March 2005 the number of young people who were assessed as vulnerable by a youth offending team and subsequently placed in a young offenders' institution was 3,370.

WALES

Departmental Finance Director

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of his Department.

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1347. The Director of the Wales Office accounts for its expenditure as an Additional Accounting Officer to the Accounting Officer for the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). The Office has no accountancy-qualified finance director but calls on finance and accounting expertise from DCA as need be.

PRIME MINISTER

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Prime Minister on which dates since February 2006 he has visited British soldiers injured in Iraq; and what locations were visited on each occasion.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 27 February 2006,  Official Report, column 36W.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the administration cost was of each of the benefits administered by his Department and the agencies for which his Department is responsible in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information requested on administration costs of each benefit is not available in the format requested.
	The latest available data on administrative costs, taken from the published accounts of each agency (net of income) is as noted below. No entry in a column indicates a period before the Department became responsible for the agency or before it was created. Figures for 2005-06 are not yet available.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Outturn 
			  Agency  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Child Support 290 294 323 326 
			 Appeals Service 61 63 73 66 
			 Jobcentre Plus — 2,951 3,042 3,148 
			 Pension Service — 513 761 831 
			 Disability and Carers Service (Part Year) — — — 120 
			 Rent Service — — — 39 
		
	
	The administration costs for Jobcentre Plus also include the costs of administering labour market activities. The costs for the Pension Service also include the costs of delivering Pensions Forecasts.
	The major benefits administered by each Agency are as follows:
	
		
			  Agency  Benefits 
			 Jobcentre Plus Jobseekers allowance, incapacity benefit, income support and social fund 
			 Pension Service State pension and pension credit 
			 Disability and Carers Service Disability living allowance, carers allowance and attendance allowance

Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the reasons for the low take-up rate of council tax benefit; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The latest estimates of the take-up of council tax benefit can be found in the DWP report entitled "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2003-04".
	This publication contains analysis of the characteristics of those entitled to but not receiving council tax benefit (CTB). Where appropriate, the analysis contrasts the characteristics of those identified as entitled, but not in receipt, with those of recipients of CTB, and explores some of the possible causes of non-take-up.
	Copies of the report are available in the Library.

Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of fraud and error in housing benefit was in each year since 1996-97; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The most recent available housing benefit fraud and error estimates are in the table.
	
		
			  Housing benefit fraud and error estimates; amount and proportion of expenditure: Great Britain 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			   Amount  (£ million)  Percentage  Amount  (£ million)  Percentage  Amount  (£ million)  Percentage 
			 Official error 140 1.1 150 1.2 150 1.1 
			 Customer error 240 1.9 280 2.2 360 2.7 
			 Customer fraud 250 1.9 170 1.4 170 1.3 
			 Total 630 5.0 600 4.8 680 5.2 
			  Notes:  1. Totals and proportions may not sum due to rounding.  2. These figures are estimated using reviews of around 85 per cent. of HB expenditure (used for measuring performance against the relevant PSA target to reduce fraud and error in HB) together with more approximate estimates of error in the remaining 15 per cent. of expenditure. For further details on this, please see the relevant National Statistics reports in the "Fraud and Error in Housing Benefit" series. These are available in the Library and online at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/fraud_hb/fraud_hb.asp.  3. Previous estimates were carried out for 1997-98, but a different methodology was used so they are not comparable. No estimates are available for other years.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Department expects all those eligible under the financial assistance scheme to have received payment; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: Members do not generally receive payments until they are 65. With the extension of the financial assistance scheme to members of qualifying schemes who were within 15 years of their scheme pension age on 14 May 2004, all eligible members with scheme pension ages of 65 should have received their first payment by May 2019, while all of those with scheme pension ages of 60 should have received their first payment by May 2024.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many potential recipients of assistance through the financial assistance scheme he estimates will also receive deemed buy-back of contracted out rebates.

James Purnell: This information is not available. To date only a small number of schemes and members have qualified and opted for deemed buyback, so there is insufficient data on which to base an estimate.

Jobcentre Plus

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the introduction of the Employer Relationship Management System to Jobcentre Plus.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the introduction of the Employer Relationship Management System to Jobcentre Plus. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Employer Relationship Management (ERM) database is due to be introduced to Jobcentre Plus during Summer 2006. The new database brings together other databases currently used by Jobcentre Plus, such as the Labour Market System and the Marketing Access Database. Approximately 3000 staff who engage with employers will use the database to access and manage employer information, allowing them to work with current and potential employers more effectively to identify the right type of vacancies at the right time.
	I hope this is helpful.

Medical Assessments

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of medical assessments for  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) attendance allowance,  (c) industrial injuries disablement benefit and  (d) incapacity benefit have been appealed in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	The information you asked for is not available in the format requested as data is collected by benefit type rather than by whether a medical assessment was carried out.
	The following table gives details of the total number of appeals received for disability living allowance, attendance allowance, industrial injuries disablement benefit and incapacity benefit over the last five years.
	
		
			  Appeals received by the Appeals Service, March 2001 to February 2006 
			  March to February:  Incapacity benefit, without PCA  Incapacity benefit, with PCA  Attendance allowance  Disability living allowance  Industrial injuries disablement benefit  Total 
			 2001-02 6,230 42,670 11,750 85,460 22,820 168,920 
			 2002-03 7,000 53,910 10,350 81,290 18,340 170,890 
			 2003-04 7,170 55,170 9,810 83,250 15,800 171,210 
			 2004-05 7,180 55,340 8,330 86,820 12,600 170,250 
			 2005-06 7,230 56,660 7,250 80,750 11,630 163,510 
			  Notes:  1. All figures are subject to change as more up-to-date data become available.  2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  3. PCA = Personal Capability Assessment.  4. These data are drawn from management information and should not be used in conjunction with sample statistics drawn from the benefit administration systems.  Source:  100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System (19 June 2006).

Pension Credit

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate the Department has made of the amount that will be spent on pension credit for the 125,000 people who lost occupational pension rights from schemes that started to wind up before 6 April 2005; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: It is not possible to estimate the amount that will be spent on pension credit for the 125,000 people who lost occupational pension rights from schemes that started to wind up before April 2005. Information on the individual circumstances of these people is not available.

Pensions

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former Allied Steel and Wire workers are forecast to receive  (a) 80 per cent.,  (b) 65 per cent.,  (c) 50 per cent. and  (d) none of their expected occupational pension under the recently announced changes to the financial assistance scheme; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: We do not hold information on the ages or pension entitlements of members of the ASW pension scheme and therefore we are unable to estimate the number of individuals eligible.

Post Office Card Accounts (Northamptonshire)

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the take up of the Post Office card account in Northamptonshire.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Information showing the number of DWP benefit and pension payment accounts paid by direct payment into a Post Office card account for each parliamentary constituency has been placed in the Library.

Sure Start

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women have received a Sure Start maternity grant in  (a) England,  (b) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and  (c) Lewisham borough in each of the last two years.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of sure start maternity grant awards 
			   England  South east London Jobcentre Plus district 
			 2004-05 203,480 3,240 
			 2005-06 205,750 3,590 
			  Notes:  1. Data are not available by parliamentary constituency or local authority but only by Jobcentre Plus District.  2. In 2004-05 and 2005-06, both Lewisham Deptford parliamentary constituency and Lewisham borough were part of south east London Jobcentre Plus district.  3. Figures are for all awards, irrespective of whether the award was made to the mother or her partner.  4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Unemployed Disabled People, Southend

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people are registered as unemployed in the Southend, West constituency; what encouragement his Department is giving to find them jobs; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Since 1997 the overall employment rate in the Southend West constituency has increased by 6.9 percentage points to 81.9 per cent., higher than the national average.
	Specific information on the number of disabled people registered as unemployed in the constituency is not available. However the number of disabled International Labour Organisation unemployed in East of England aged 16 or over is 30,646.
	A 'Pathways to Work' pilot has been operating in Essex since April 2004 providing encouragement, advice and support to disabled people to prepare them for their return to work. So far this has produced 2,710 job entries.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to encourage the provision of affordable housing for key public sector workers in Coventry, South.

Yvette Cooper: The Key Worker Living programme does not currently operate in the West Midlands. In the West Midlands £148.3 million has been allocated by the Housing Corporation for housing schemes to start in 2006-08. They will provide 3,917 new affordable homes, of which 255 will be in Coventry.
	Of the 255 homes being provided in Coventry, 132 will be for social rent, eligibility for which will be decided by the local authority through their nomination procedures. The remaining 123 will be for low cost home ownership. Key public sector workers will be eligible for these units alongside social tenants, those on the housing register and first time buyers prioritised for assistance by regional housing boards.

Brownfield Development

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1387-8W, on brownfield development, what the figures are for 2005 as derived from the Land Use Change Statistics 21.

Yvette Cooper: The latest LUCS show that in 2005, on a provisional estimate, 73 per cent. of new dwellings, including conversions, were built on previously developed land.
	Of the dwellings built on previously developed land in 2005, 21 per cent. were on land that was previously used for residential purposes (which includes buildings and the land associated with those buildings). This is 14 per cent. of all new dwellings built, a slight reduction from 15 per cent. in 2004.
	Further to the answer on 22 May 2006, the tables set out LUCS data from 1986. From 1986-88 the data was collected on small sample sizes and is therefore not comparable to the later data. From 1989 the figures have been collected on a comparable basis.

Building Regulations

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many builders have been prosecuted since 1997 for non-compliance with environmental building regulations.

Angela Smith: As building control is a fully devolved service under the Building Act 1984, no central records are kept of prosecutions arising from non-compliance with building regulations.

City Regions Programme

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding will be allocated to the city regions programme.

Phil Woolas: Following the round of "Your City, Your Future" summits held last autumn, the eight core cities were invited to prepare business cases setting out what changes they wish to see to enable improved economic performance across their city-region. Discussions with the core cities are ongoing and we are giving careful consideration to their business case proposals. The evidence and findings to emerge from our work with the core cities will feed into the Treasury led cross cutting review of sub-national economic development and regeneration ahead of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

Civil Servants (Expenses)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the expenditure has been on temporary overnight accommodation in London for civil servants in her Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: Since 2002 my Department has spent the following on temporary overnight accommodation in London for civil servants.
	
		
			   Total expense (£) 
			 2006-07 (To date) 11,832.54 
			 2005-06 74,351.45 
			 2004-05 101,380.39 
			 2003-04 95,135.24 
			 2002-03 88,047.06 
		
	
	The information is not readily available for the period 1997 to 2002 because the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was not created until that year.

Coalfield Regeneration Trust

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to reply to question 64451, on the Coalfield Regeneration Trust, tabled on 12 April by the hon. Member for Bassetlaw.

Yvette Cooper: I answered my hon. Friend's question on 26 June 2006,  Official Report, column 125W.

Councillors

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when elected councillors are informed by the Standards Board that a complaint has been made against them.

Phil Woolas: A local authority member is informed by the Standards Board that an allegation has been made against him following the Board's decision on whether or not to refer the case for investigation. The average time taken by the Board from the receipt of the allegation to making a decision on whether or not to investigate it is currently nine working days, which exceeds the Board's performance target for this of 10 working days.

Departmental Staff

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent staff her Department will employ; and how many the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister employed in each year that it existed.

Angela Smith: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed on 29 May 2002. The number of full-time equivalent staff in post at the 31 March in each subsequent year is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Permanent staff in ODPM 
			  31 March  Full-time equivalents 
			 2003 2,221.2 
			 2004 2,336.5 
			 2005 2,465.8 
		
	
	Projected staffing levels for the Department of Communities and Local Government by 31 March 2007 are 2,190 full-time equivalents. However, these estimates are expected to change following the transfer of some work and staff from the Department of Trade and Industry and the Home Office to the Department as part of the machinery of government changes announced in May.

Departmental Staff

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many civil servants from her Department work in 26 Whitehall; and which divisions are based there.

Angela Smith: There are currently 37 staff from the Department for Communities and Local Government in 26 Whitehall as shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Unit  Number of staff 
			 Corporate Strategy and Resources Group 28 
			 Ministerial Group 9 
			 Total 37 
		
	
	All these staff will be moving to Eland House in the next few months.

Equal Pay

Katy Clark: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many  (a) women and  (b) men are employed in the Department; what the average pay was for (i) women and (ii) men in the Department in (1) 1997 and (2) 2006; what women's average pay is as a percentage of men's average pay; and how many  (A) women and  (B) men the Department employed in each of the last five years, broken down by grade.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed on 29 May 2002. Figures for years before the creation of ODPM are not available. The following table shows the number of men and women employed in ODPM on the 31 March between 2003 and 2005 by grade.
	
		
			  Table 1: Permanent staff by grade and gender 2003-05 
			   Headcount  
			   Full-time staff  Part-time staff  Full-time equivalent 
			  Responsibility level  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total 
			  31 March 2003  
			 All non-industrial staff 1,157 916 2,073 29 153 182 1,178 1,024 2,202 
			   
			 SCS level 78 26 104 2 7 9 79 31 110 
			 Grades 6 and 7 260 138 398 9 36 45 267 164 431 
			 SEO/HEO level 412 286 698 10 43 53 420 316 737 
			 EO level 234 209 443 3 28 31 235 229 464 
			 AO/AA level 172 257 429 5 39 44 175 284 460 
			 Unknown 1 — 1 — — — 1 — 1 
			   
			 All industrial staff 19 — 19 — — — 19 — 19 
			   
			  31 March 2004  
			 All non-industrial staff 1,194 972 2,166 34 160 194 1,227 1,089 2,316 
			   
			 SCS level 82 43 125 2 9 11 83 50 133 
			 Grades 6 and 7 268 165 433 12 36 48 277 191 468 
			 SEO/HEO level 452 322 774 9 48 57 460 356 816 
			 EO level 234 217 451 5 29 34 246 253 498 
			 AO/AA level 155 225 380 6 38 44 159 239 398 
			 Unknown 3 — 3 — — — 3 — 3 
			   
			 All industrial staff 32 — 32 — — — 33 — 33 
			   
			  31 March 2005  
			 All non-industrial staff 1,255 1,032 2,287 38 168 206 1,283 1,152 2,435 
			   
			 SCS level 73 42 115 2 10 12 74 50 124 
			 Grades 6 and 7 310 162 472 12 45 57 319 195 514 
			 SEO/HEO level 470 373 843 11 50 61 479 409 888 
			 EO level 242 232 474 6 29 35 246 253 498 
			 AO/AA level 159 221 380 7 34 41 164 244 408 
			 Unknown 1 2 3 — — — 1 2 3 
			   
			 All industrial staff 31 — 31 — — — 31 — 31 
		
	
	The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. These include data on the employment of men and women.
	Information on the numbers of women and men employed in the civil service broken down at 31 December 2005 is available in the Library and on the civil service website at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/employment/index.asp
	The following table shows median salaries for men and women and women's median pay as a percentage of men's median pay in March 2003 and March 2006.
	
		
			  Table 2: Changes in median salaries 2003-06 
			   Median pay  
			  March  Women  Men  Women's pay as a percentage of men's pay 
			 2003 24,047 27,782 86.6 
			 2006 27,897 30,012 93.0

Fire Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if the Minister with responsibility for the fire service will meet  (a) Southend and  (b) Essex fire service trade unions to discuss the regionalisation of fire service control rooms; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: I have already agreed to meet the FBU regional secretary for the East of England to discuss the rationalisation of fire and rescue service control rooms.

Fire Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with the fire brigade's trade unions about the regionalisation of the fire service control rooms; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Over the last year Ministers have met staff representative bodies (including the FBU, Retained Firelighters Union, Fire Officers Association, Association of Principal Fire Officers, Unison, GMB and others) from the fire and rescue service on a range of issues, including the FiReControl project. Regular contact with those bodies will continue.

Fire Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many large outbreaks of fire there were in  (a) Southend, West constituency,  (b) Essex,  (c) Hertfordshire and  (d) Greater London in each of the last eight years; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The available information covers parts  (b)- (d) of the question. Information on Southend, West constituency is not available centrally.
	A large outbreak of fire has been taken to be a fire attended by five or more pumping appliances.
	
		
			  Fires attended by five or more pumping appliances 1997-98 to 2004-05 
			   Essex  Hertfordshire  Greater London 
			 1997-98 29 10 290 
			 1998-99 26 49 376 
			 1999-2000 67 41 400 
			 2000-01 58 20 254 
			 2001-02 52 29 246 
			 2002-03 24 22 254 
			 2003-04 60 32 213 
			 2004-05 11 25 240 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are based on sampled data grossed to fire and rescue service totals. 2. Figures exclude any fires in November 2002 and January-February 2003 strike periods.  Source: Fire and Rescue Service returns to DCLG

Fire Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of staff employed at fire service control rooms who will be made redundant as a result of the planned regionalisation; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my then colleague, the Member for Bow and Poplar (Jim Fitzpatrick) to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 2 December 2005,  Official Report, column 797W.

Fire Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the operation of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004; and what recent representations she has received on the operation of this Act.

Angela Smith: The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 has been in operation for less than two years, and the benefits of the move to prevention based fire and rescue services are already evident. Provisional figures for the year to June 2005 show significant decreases in the number of deaths and injuries, the number of primary fires and the number of deliberate fires. In England, by comparison to the previous year, there has been a 21 per cent. fall in deaths in accidental dwelling fires. The number of fires to which the fire and rescue service were called fell by 25 per cent. Within the primary fires category, there was a fall of 7 per cent. in the total number of building fires including a 10 per cent. decrease in non-domestic building fires (i.e. commercial premises, schools, etc.). Deliberate primary fires fell by 20 per cent. That is a tribute to the way our fire and rescue services have exercised their duties and powers under the Act.
	The Government have received representations about charging by fire and rescue services for non-fire-fighting related work; operation of Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP) under the National Framework; and about the 24 hour delay on powers on entry to domestic premises for fire investigation purposes. On charging, the matters for which fire and rescue authorities may charge are set out in The Fire and Rescue Services (England) Order 2004. We keep that under review and will consult on any changes that we propose. For the National Framework we have recognised that it can assist fire and rescue services in forward planning if the framework has a longer life than one year. We have therefore introduced a two-year Framework for 2006-08 following consultation with the Fire and Rescue Service. Finally on fire investigation, the powers available to the fire and rescue authorities are at least equivalent to those available to the police. Nonetheless, we are considering the points made in conjunction with the Arson Control Forum.

Flag Flying

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many days since May 1997 the St. George's flag has been flown from her Department's buildings.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was created on 5 May 2006.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) issue the guidance for flying flags on Government buildings. This includes recommending flying the St. George's Flag on St. George's Day, 23 April, on buildings with two or more flag poles, provided it is flown alongside the Union Flag with the Union Flag in the superior position.
	Eland House has a second flag pole and the St. George's flag will be flown on 23 April in future, in line with DCMS recommendation.

Government Office for London

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff were employed in the Government Office for London at each civil service grade in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The Government Office for London staffing figures(1) from 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			  Staff in post in April by grade( 2) 
			   1997( 3)  1998( 3)  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006( 4) 
			 SCS PB2(5) — — — — — — 1 1 1 1 
			 SCS FBI(5) — — — — — — 6 6 8 9 
			 Grade 6 5 5 8 10 6 5 5 5 6 4 
			 Grade 7 32 46 76 65 35 34 42 44 45 52 
			 SEO and equivalent 25 27 31 33 17 22 29 43 38 33 
			 HEO and equivalent 60 67 95 93 64 78 87 110 99 99 
			 EO 75 76 86 85 56 60 63 61 57 61 
			 PO — — — — 1 — — — — — 
			 SPS 2 4 2 6 3 2 1 1 2 — 
			 AO 50 57 68 63 48 51 40 49 48 43 
			 PS 13 10 13 9 7 6 12 4 4 1 
			 Deputy Speaker 1 — 2 1 — — 1 — — — 
			 AA 9 8 8 4 1 — — — — — 
			 Typist 2 5 1 1 2 2 — 1 — — 
			 SGB 1 — — — — — — 1 — — — 
			 Total(2) 274 305 390 370 240 260 288 325 308 303 
			 (1) Prior to 2005 GOL staffing figures were calculated as those staff working in GOL on GOL business. Figures did not include those seconded into GOL who were paid for by their own employer. (2) Figures up to April 2005 do not include staff on outward secondment, outward loan, maternity leave, special leave, and career breaks for whom we did not pay but who had a right of return to GOL in the future. (3 )March. (4) Due to the outsourcing of the HR function for all Government Offices and the move to a central database, staffing figures are now calculated as those staff working in GOL on GOL business and on GOL's payroll. In addition, figures include staff on outward secondment, outward loan, maternity leave, special leave, and career breaks for whom we do not pay but who have a right of return to GOL in the future. (5) Prior to 2003 SCS figures were not recorded centrally in GOL but held by parent departments.

Government Office for London

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what projects were managed by the Government Office for London in each year 1996 to 2006; and what the total funding for each project was.

Angela Smith: The Government Office for London (GOL) delivers policies and programmes on behalf of 10 central Government Departments. Programme expenditure figures are available from 1998-99 onwards. I have placed in the Library of the House of Commons tables showing a detailed breakdown of GOL's programme expenditure from 1998-99 to 2004-05, and for the 2005-06 budget (for which final outturn figures are not yet available). The tables make clear that not all programmes are directly delegated to GOL for allocation, but GOL is involved in the delivery and management of them.
	
		
			   Expenditure (£) 
			 1998-99 1,439,600,000 
			 1999-00 2,202,000,000 
			 2000-01 1,605,269,000 
			 2001-02 2,094,276,000 
			 2002-03 2,529,631,000 
			 2003-04 2,724,391,846 
			 2004-05 3,323,368,336 
			 2005-06 3,360,066,496

Government Office for the North-East

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many whole-time equivalent staff there are in Government Office North East; how many there were in each year since 2001; and what staff reductions are projected in the next three years.

Angela Smith: The figures for whole-time equivalent staff in the Government Office for the North East for each year since 2001 is:
	
		
			  April each year:  Number 
			 2001 267 
			 2002 286 
			 2003 274 
			 2004 335 
			 2005 331 
			 2006 298 
		
	
	It is expected that the number of staff will reduce by around a third by the end of 2008, compared to the 2004 figure.

Government Office for the West Midlands

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what strategies for sustainable development the Government Office for the West Midlands has in place.

Angela Smith: The Government's commitment to sustainable development in the regions is set out in "Securing the Regions' Futures, strengthening delivery of sustainable development in the English regions", launched on 25 April 2006. The Government Office for the West Midlands is currently considering, in conjunction with Regional Partners, how it will take this work forward, in particular:
	"leading by example, to ensure that sustainable development principles are embedded in the way that we work across all our business as well as in partnership with others,
	and
	making sustainable development one of our key challenges but one which is central to our new more strategic purpose as set out in the Government Office Review"—(Securing the Regions' Futures, Strengthening delivery of sustainable development in the English regions; p25)
	Regional partners are responsible for the development of strategies, in particular the Regional Sustainable Development Framework (RSDF), which provide a framework for sustainable development in the West Midlands. The current RSDF was launched in January 2005. The Government Office for the West Midlands has actively supported and challenged partners to develop and use the RSDF in the development of regional and sub regional policies. It has been, or is being, used in the development of the Regional Housing Strategy, the Regional Rural Delivery Framework, the review of the Regional Economic Strategy and the Phase 1 review of the Regional Spatial Strategy, as well as a range of sub regional policies and plans.
	A revised version of the RSDF, that incorporates lessons learned from the use of version 1, has been the subject of public consultation and the final document is in preparation.
	The Regional Concordat is also being revised, led by the West Midlands Regional Assembly and supported by partners, including GOWM. This is a framework for partnership working and has sustainable development as one of its central tenets.
	Sustainability West Midlands is the equivalent of a regional round table. Regional partners, including the Government Office for the West Midlands, have been very active in supporting and promoting its role as a regional champion for sustainable development. It has worked to embed sustainable development thinking into policy making and to develop the links between policy and practice through a wide range of projects.
	The Regional Spatial Strategy for the West Midlands was issued as Regional Planning Guidance for the West Midlands (RPG11) in June 2004 on behalf of the Secretary of State by the Government Office for the West Midlands. A number of local authorities within the region have either prepared or are preparing their local development frameworks as part of the local planning process. These frameworks will include policies on sustainable development at the local level. The drafts seen to date have used the RSDF as a tool to help develop their policies.

Home Inspectors

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how a home inspector will be required to prove that he has valid professional indemnity insurance at the time he produced the report; what discussions the Government have had with the insurance industry to ensure that it will provide such insurance to qualified inspectors; what the expected cost is of professional indemnity insurance to an individual inspector; and whether the Government plan to give grants or loans to inspectors to help pay for professional indemnity insurance.

Yvette Cooper: In order to be approved by the Secretary of State, certification schemes will be required to have robust systems in place to ensure that Home Condition Reports (HCRs) are covered by indemnity insurance, before they are lodged on the central register.
	Discussions have been held with insurers and underwriters covering 60 per cent. of the market volume for insurance for existing residential surveyors to ensure that indemnity insurance will be available for home inspectors. Further discussions are under way in the commercial sector to ensure that costs are kept to a minimum.
	It is too early for insurers to quote costs but we anticipate that the cost for existing practitioners will be similar to that which applies now.
	Home inspectors will be expected to pay for indemnity insurance, as is the case with chartered surveyors at present.

Housing (Luton)

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make an assessment of the impact on equalities of recent budget decisions by Luton council.

Meg Munn: Public authorities are legally responsible for assessing the impact on equalities of their own policies (including decisions that revise a policy) and functions. The Commission for Racial Equality has powers of enforcement if the Commission is of the view that a public authority has not complied with the duty to promote race equality. Otherwise it is for a public authority itself, in this case Luton council, to demonstrate how its decisions take account of the duty and this is subject to audit.

Living Naze Community Project

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what correspondence her Department has had with the East of England Development Agency concerning the Living Naze community project in Walton-on-the-Naze.

Yvette Cooper: There has been no correspondence between the Department for Communities and Local Government and the East of England Development Agency concerning the Living Naze community project in Walton-on-the-Naze.

Local Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many written representations her Department has received from  (a) district and  (b) county councils calling for unitary status.

Phil Woolas: Our records show receipt of over 60 written representations in favour of the principle of unitary local government—24 from district council members and officers and eight from county council members and officers.

Local Government Finance

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Government has paid in subsidy to each local authority since 2002.

Phil Woolas: A table detailing the amount of central Government grant paid to each local authority since 2002-03 has been made available in the Library of the House.
	The data are taken from Revenue Summary (RS) returns for 2002-03 to 2004-05.
	Central Government grant is defined here as the sum of Specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF), General GLA grant and Formula grant (Revenue Support Grant, Redistributed business rates and Police Grant).
	Specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance are those revenue grants paid for councils' core services (such as waste collection), excluding funding for local authorities' housing management, and can be paid to any type of authority.
	Combined Fire authorities did not receive Formula grant until they became major precepting authorities on 1 April 2004. Waste and waste disposal authorities and Passenger Transport Authorities do not directly receive Formula grant but receive levy income from their constituent authorities. They may, however, receive some specific grants. National Park Authorities do not receive Formula grant but receive specific grants, except Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, which receives levy income from its constituent authorities.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changing local authority responsibilities.
	The information excludes those grant programmes, such as European funding, where authorities are simply one of the recipients of funding paid towards an area.

Local Government Staff (Salaries)

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average annual wage was of  (a) local government chief executives in England and  (b) local government workers in each year since 1997.

Phil Woolas: The requested information has been calculated from information provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Local Government Employers (LGE) Organisation and is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Chief Executives( 1, 3, 6)  Local government services( 2, 3, 4, 5) 
			 1997 64,628 — 
			 1998 69,690 — 
			 1999 74,653 17,452 
			 2000 78,815 18,345 
			 2001 82,320 18,856 
			 2002 87,857 19,512 
			 2003 96,699 20,264 
			 (7)2004 100,382 21,355 
			 (8)2005 108,958 — 
			 (1) Source: Local Government Employers Organisation: Chief Executive and Chief Officer Salaries and Numbers Surveys 1997-2005. (2) Source: ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Table 19.7a, full-time employees, Local authority single status national agreement group, 1999-2004. (3) England only figures are not available. The Chief Executive figures are for England and Wales and the Local Government Services figures are for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, as England is the dominant member of the groupings it is unlikely that the trends would differ if the figures were for England only. (4) ASHE only collected annual earnings figures from 1999 onwards. (5 )ASHE figures cover earnings rather than basic pay, they are available for earnings less overtime but not for basic pay only. (6) The Chief Executive figures cover basic salary. Basic salaries are often enhanced by a range of additional bonuses which may include other remunerations such as performance related pay, market supplement, long service supplement, evening meeting allowance and car allowances. (7) 2004 figures are provisional due to an ONS methodology review. (8) 2005 figures are not yet available from this source.

Local Strategic Partnerships

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to ensure that local strategic partnerships play a leading role in the reduction of  (a) criminal and  (b) antisocial behaviour in their areas.

Phil Woolas: In the recent consultation on the future of local strategic partnerships, LSP were positioned as the overarching partnership in an area that would bring all relevant service deliverers together. In order for this to work effectively the consultation described the LSP as needing to consist of a board, which will determine the priorities for an area through the Local Area Agreement, and a series of thematic sub-partnerships including the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) which would deliver against these agreed priorities.
	The Home Office's recent Crime and Disorder Act review built on this model and gave further emphasis to the strategic leadership role to the LSP in reducing crime and antisocial behaviour through its setting of the LAA targets. Furthermore, all LAAs contain mandatory targets on both crime and antisocial behaviour, which are developed by LSPs.

Local Strategic Partnerships

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department receives annual reports by local strategic partnerships on their  (a) performance and  (b) auditing of expenditure.

Phil Woolas: Outside areas receiving Neighbourhood Renewal Funding Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) are voluntary partnerships and hence are not monitored on an individual basis by the Department. There are no requirements for LSPs to report to the Secretary of State on their performance. Where a locality has a local area agreement, the LSP, through the local authority, will report on progress to the Government Office on a six-monthly basis. This report is made available to the Secretary of State.
	LSPs do not hold funds, funding is held by partner organisations. Any expenditure will be subject to partners' individual audit requirements.

Local Strategic Partnerships

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what external monitoring takes place by Government of local strategic partnerships.

Phil Woolas: Outside areas receiving Neighbourhood Renewal Funding local strategic partnerships (LSPs) are voluntary partnerships and hence are not monitored on an individual basis by the Department. There are no requirements for LSPs to report to the Secretary of State on their performance. Where a locality has a local area agreement, the LSP, through the local authority, will report on progress to the Government Office on a six-monthly basis. This report is made available to the Secretary of State.
	LSPs do not hold funds, funding is held by partner organisations. Any expenditure will be subject to partners individual audit requirements. Local authorities are the accountable body for LAAs.
	Since 2004, LSPs in receipt of NRF resources have been required to develop performance management frameworks. This is primarily a self-assessment process. To ensure the process is robust, Government offices have undertaken an annual review, with the outcomes of performance management forming the basis of these reviews. Government offices will provide DCLG with a report on each of the 86 LSPs by 7 July this year.

Mayor of London

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers the Mayor of London has to make unilateral agreements with representatives of foreign countries on the supply of oil; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Mayor of London acting through the Greater London Authority has a general power, under section 30 of the GLA Act 1999, to do anything he considers will further the Authority's principal purposes of promoting economic development and wealth creation, social development, and the improvement of the environment in Greater London. The use of this general power may enable the Mayor to make agreements with foreign countries on specific matters in certain circumstances, subject to other relevant national, EU and international laws.

Pathfinder Schemes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the funding agreement between her Department and each Pathfinder scheme.

Yvette Cooper: I have placed in the Libraries of both Houses a copy of the funding agreement up to 31 March 2006 between each pathfinder and the Department. We are currently agreeing with the six pathfinders for whom we have announced offers of funding for 2006-08 variations to those funding agreements to cover the period to 31 March 2008.

Public Pensions (Transferability)

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures her Department has put in place to assist pension transferability of public pensions for members of the  (a) Local Government and  (b) Fire Service Pension Schemes.

Phil Woolas: On joining the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), a member may request the LGPS fund to accept a transfer value in respect of some or all of his accrued pension rights, from a previous employment. On transferring out of the LGPS, a member is entitled to request a transfer value of his accrued LGPS pension rights, for payment into a new pension scheme.
	Similar arrangements are provided for in the Firefighters' Pension Scheme (FPS) and are being provided for in the New Firefighters' Pension Scheme (NFPS).
	Special provisions apply to individual transfers between members of the Public Sector Transfer Club under which a transferee will receive equivalent value service credits in the new scheme in respect of service in their former scheme. The LGPS and the FPS are members of the Club and the objective is that the NFPS should also satisfy the requirements to be a member.
	Special provisions exist in the LGPS which allow employees transferring out of local government under a best value contracting out arrangement, either to remain in the LGPS in their new employment or to have access to a broadly comparable scheme.

Special Advisers

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who the special advisers are to each Minister in her Department.

Angela Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has two special advisers: Dan Corry and Julie Crowley. No other Ministers in the Department have special advisers.

Special Advisers

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role is played by special advisers in answering parliamentary questions asked of her Department.

Angela Smith: Special advisers conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of the 'Code of Conduct for Special Advisers'.

Sustainable Buildings

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the number of homes built since 1997 that do not comply with environmental building regulations.

Angela Smith: Post implementation surveys of amendments to the energy efficiency provisions in Part L of the Building Regulations were carried out in 1998 and 2004 respectively. These surveys examined building control submissions to determine methods of compliance but were not designed to count numbers of non-compliances.
	The former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also commissioned air-tightness tests on 55 new dwellings built in compliance with the 2002 requirements and it subsequently received from The Energy Saving Partnership for Homes the results of a further 99 similar tests on other new dwellings.
	The results of these tests and surveys influenced the amendment to Part L that came into effect in April 2006 and the ongoing dissemination and training for builders and Building Control Officers.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

1911 Census

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions she has had with the Information Commissioner on releasing the 1911 census records on a county-by-county basis.

Bridget Prentice: I have had no discussions with the Information Commissioner on releasing the 1911 census records on a county-by-county basis.

1911 Census

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions her Department has had with genealogy and family history organisations on releasing information from the 1911 census on a section-by-section basis.

Bridget Prentice: The National Archives (TNA), has held discussions with genealogy and family history organisations on TNA's plans for the digitisation and release of the 1911 census, in order to ensure that the end product meets user needs. These groups will continue to be consulted regularly.

Departmental Bills

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what Government Bills sponsored by her Department are still to be introduced during the current Session; and when, and into which House, each will be introduced.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to the Leader of the House of Commons response dated 16 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1431W.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of her staff in each of the last three years; and at what total cost.

Bridget Prentice: The departmental cost for the payment of non-pensionable bonuses for the last three years and the percentage figure of the total paybill is set out in the following table.
	The figures do not include the magistrates courts staff who became civil servants within this Department on April 2005 and who currently have separate pay arrangements which do not include bonuses.
	
		
			  Financial year  Number of bonuses paid  Cost of non-pensionable bonuses (£)  Percentage of annual paybill 
			 2003-04 5,760 1,351,558 0.4 
			 2004-05 3,361 1,410,448 0.4 
			 2005-06 3,991 1,848,538 0.5

Dr. David Kelly

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the occasions since 1 January 2003 when  (a) the Lord Chancellor and  (b) (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in her Department have met the Oxfordshire coroner.

Harriet Harman: Neither the Lord Chancellor nor any Ministers have met the Oxfordshire coroner. My officials met the Oxfordshire coroner on 11 August 2003 and on 20 March 2006.

Dr. David Kelly

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to her answer of 3 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1664W, on Dr. David Kelly, how the Oxfordshire coroner ascertained reasons for death by the date of issue of the certificate on 18 August 2003.

Harriet Harman: The Oxfordshire coroner informs me that he was able to ascertain reasons for Dr. David Kelly's death from the post mortem report from the Home Office pathologist, Dr. Hunt, and the toxicology report from Dr. Allen. These reports were admitted in evidence in a resumed hearing of the inquest into the death of Dr. Kelly on 14 August 2003.

Hutton Inquiry

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs at what time and on what day  (a) the Prime Minister asked the Lord Chancellor to identify a suitable judge to lead the inquiry into the death of Dr. David Kelly and  (b) the decision to appoint Lord Hutton was taken.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the press release issued by the Hutton inquiry on 21 July. A copy is available on the Hutton website.

Hutton Inquiry

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the members of the senior judiciary consulted by the Lord Chancellor prior to the appointment of Lord Hutton to investigate the death of Dr. David Kelly.

Harriet Harman: The Lord Chancellor consulted the Senior Law Lord.

Hutton Inquiry

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs at what time on 21 July 2003 the press notice concerning the appointment of Lord Hutton was issued by her Department; and at what time and on what day this statement was cleared for release.

Harriet Harman: The press release referred to was a statement by Lord Hutton, received from him and distributed by DCA press office on his behalf. Available records suggest this was done at around 10.15 am 21 July 2003. Preparation of the text of the statement is a matter for Lord Hutton.

Inquests

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs in what circumstances inquests can be closed without a verdict; and on how many occasions this has happened since 1 May 1997.

Harriet Harman: Under section 16 of the Coroners Act 1988 an inquest may be adjourned where the coroner is informed that there are criminal proceedings arising from the death and the coroner may only resume the inquest after the criminal proceedings have concluded there is in his opinion sufficient cause to do so. The Lord Chancellor may also require the coroner to adjourn an inquest under section 17A of the Act where he considers that a judicial public inquiry is likely to adequately investigate the death and the coroner may only resume the inquest if in his opinion there is exceptional reason to do so.
	Since 1 January 1997 annual figures for inquests adjourned and not resumed are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1997 849 
			 1998 843 
			 1999 772 
			 2000 979 
			 2001 899 
			 2002 1,123 
			 2003 908 
			 2004 943 
			 2005 1,008

Legal Aid (Northamptonshire)

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of provision of legal aid in Northamptonshire.

Vera Baird: The Legal Services Commission contracts with service providers throughout England and Wales to provide a range of legal and advice services across different categories of law.
	There are currently 35 service providers with a contract to undertake civil legal aid work and 22 service providers with a contract to undertake criminal legal aid work in Northamptonshire. Service providers in Northamptonshire may help people who live outside the area, and people who live in Northamptonshire may visit a service provider in a different area.
	Any person residing in England or Wales can access free quality legal advice and information through Community Legal Service Direct. This service is available direct to the public through a telephone line, website and information leaflets.

National Archives

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list records in the National Archives which have been withheld from public inspection; and for what reason each has been withheld.

Bridget Prentice: The National Archives (TNA) catalogue has more than 10 million records and of these approximately 218,000 records are closed to public inspection at TNA.
	The Public Records Acts of 1958 and 1967 determined access to public records. Since January 2005 access is determined by the passing of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
	The full list of TNA's holdings is on the online catalogue and includes access status of each record.
	http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/default.asp

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the reasons are for the delay in answering parliamentary questions  (a) 74493 tabled on 24 May 2006,  (b) 65241 tabled on 19 April 2006,  (c) 65227 tabled on 19 May 2006 and  (d) 74469 tabled on 24 May 2006 by the hon. Member for Lewes; and when she expects to answer them.

Harriet Harman: The documents necessary to answer the hon. Member's questions had been archived. The questions have been answered on 27 June 2006.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Autism

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much his Department has spent in each year since 1997 on the provision of  (a) mainstream and  (b) specialist education provision for children with autism.

Parmjit Dhanda: Funding for schools is a shared responsibility between central and local government. The majority of funding is provided by central Government, with Local Authorities (LAs) providing the rest. For the first time this year, schools will receive their funding from a Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) rather than as part of the local government settlement. The DSG is a ring-fenced grant and must be used for schools' budgets. It is for each LA to distribute funding using a locally agreed formula, and for schools' governing bodies to decide how to spend the available resources.
	Since 1997-98, total funding for education in England has increased nationally, by £1,170 per pupil from £2,940 in 1997-98 to £4,110 per pupil in 2005-06. This represents a rise of nearly 40 per cent. per pupil.
	Support for children with special educational needs (SEN) accounts for a high proportion of all education expenditure. We do not hold information centrally about expenditure on autism but information collected from LAs shows planned expenditure on the education of children with SEN has increased from £2.8 billion in 2001-02 (when data was first available) to £4.1 billion in 2005-06. This is about 13 per cent. of all education spending. The figure of £4.1 billion includes about £1.4 billion for maintained special schools, £2.0 billion for mainstream schools, £481 million for independent and non-maintained special schools and £264 million for LA duties and support services.
	In addition, between 1997-98 and 2003-04 the Government allocated a total of £360 million through specific grants, to support SEN. The SEN element of the School Development Grant in 2004-05 was £84 million (not ring-fenced, schools decide how they use SDG). Total SDG for 2005-06 is £674 million. This will increase by 3.4 per cent. per pupil in 2006-07 and 3.7 per cent. in 2007-08.

Book Start Scheme

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many parents in Leyton and Wanstead constituency have received book packs for their babies in the Book Start Scheme since it started in October 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Booktrust tell me that the total number of Bookstart packs issued between September 2005 and May 2006 in the London boroughs of Waltham Forest and Redbridge is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Bookstart baby packs 10,130 
			 Bookstart Plus for toddlers 8,732 
			 My Bookstart Treasure Chest 10,330 
		
	
	This information cannot be further broken down by location. Over the three year period 2005-08 we will be providing £27 million to Booktrust.

Childcare Affordability Programme

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Childcare Affordability Programme in London.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The London Childcare Affordability Programme began in November 2005, with the aim of creating up to 10,000 affordable and flexible child care places. The Department has commissioned an independent evaluation, which began in February 2006 and will be completed in April 2009, to assess the effectiveness of the programme. Interim findings will be published at key points in the study and used to inform the development of policy on affordable child care both in London and more widely.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will obtain a reply to the letters of  (a) 18 April and  (b) 18 May 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton to Mr. J. Korzeniewski, Regional Director of the Learning and Skills Council, Greater Manchester with regard to the Greater Manchester Bangladesh and Community Centre; and what the reasons are for the delay in replying hitherto.

Bill Rammell: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I understand that Mr. Korzeniewski replied to the Greater Manchester Bangladesh Association last month and has copied his response to my right hon. Friend.

Departmental Websites

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many websites there are within his responsibilities; and what the total cost of maintaining such websites was in the last year for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department runs 25 main URL domains for communication, information and services to parents, young people, frontline workers, campaigns and its corporate presence. Public-facing content is being migrated to Directgov.
	The cost of maintaining the DfES-run websites is £1.926 million.

Educational Psychology

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will reply to question 69587, tabled on 4 May, on resources for the training of educational psychologists.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department responded to my hon. Friend's question on 10 May 2006. The following is the question and answer that should have appeared on 10 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 254-55W.

Educational Psychology

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what resources he plans to make available over the next five years for the training of educational psychologists.

Parmjit Dhanda: The full-time equivalent number of educational psychologists in post in local authorities in England as at January 2005 is 2,156, compared to 1,768 in January 1997. There were 100 vacant full-time permanent posts as at January 2005.
	Educational psychologists are employed by local authorities and it is for those authorities to determine how many to employ in light of their assessment of local needs and available resources, and to plan for future needs. The Department makes no manpower planning estimates for this group of local employees, nor do we collect centrally information on the number of EPs trained or the cost of EP training, funding for which is not provided by DfES.
	There have been no recent discussions between the Department and the British Psychological Society on funding of EP training. Questions relating to clinical psychologists are for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.

Flag Flying

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what his Department's policy is on flying the  (a) St. George's Flag and  (b) EU Flag from departmental buildings;
	(2)  on how many days since May 1997 the St. George's Flag has been flown from his Department's buildings.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answers 14 June 2006
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport issue the guidance for flying flags on Government buildings. This includes flying the St. George's Flag on St. George's Day 23 April and the European Flag on Europe Day 9 May on buildings with two or more flag poles provided they are flown alongside the Union Flag with the Union Flag in the superior position.
	The Department for Education and Skills flies the St. George's Flag and European Flag on the specified days from its two London head office buildings.

Flag Flying

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will ensure the Union Flag is flown from his Department's buildings on every day the offices are open.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 14 June 2006
	The Department for Education and Skills follows the rules and guidance on flag flying issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. These rules are approved by the Queen on advice from the Department. There are no plans at present to change the number of days flags can be flown from Government buildings.

Further Education, Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many 19 to 25-year-olds in Tamworth are studying for a first level 3 qualification.

Bill Rammell: In the academic year 2004/05 there were 272 19 to 25-year-olds in Tamworth studying for a full NVQ level 3 or equivalent qualification in further education and work based learning(1). This does not include access to HE qualifications or wholly privately funded study aims.
	We do not have estimates below national level for the 'firstness' of learning aims. Research from 2005 showed that nationally 49 per cent. of full level 3 learners in further education and work based learning were studying for their first full level 3 qualification.
	( 1 ) Source:
	Individualised Learner Record, 2004/05

Learning and Skills Council

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many compulsory redundancies will arise from the restructuring of the Learning and Skills Council under its Agenda for Change.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is undertaking a major restructuring programme designed to streamline the organisation and give regional and local directors a more strategic role.
	The LSC and PCS Union have been working together to do everything reasonably possible to avoid compulsory redundancies. They have agreed that no compulsory redundancies or issue of notice of compulsory redundancy will take place before 31 October 2006. Both sides will continue to work together on a series of redundancy avoidance measures which include, as appropriate, offers of suitable alternative roles, redeployment, promotion and further training of staff to help them secure posts within the LSC, the wider civil service and beyond.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in each of the last three years.

Parmjit Dhanda: There is no central record of the breakdown of civil servants and special advisers and an assessment of the staff time and associated costs could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to monitor the extent to which public bodies which report to him comply, from October, with their duty to conserve biodiversity in exercising their functions, under section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: Under Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, all public bodies have a duty to have regard to the conservation of biodiversity in the exercising of their functions. There is no statutory obligation on Departments to monitor the extent to which public bodies comply with this duty. However, we understand Defra is working with a wide range of partners to develop guidance for public bodies to support the implementation of this duty and will involve all relevant Departments on the development of guidance.

Nursery Education Grant

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which the hourly Nursery Education Grant covers the cost for  (a) private and  (b) voluntary providers of providing child care.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 26 June 2006
	With effect from April 2006, funding has been channelled to local authorities through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) to fund educational provision for children aged up to 16 in all types of settings. This includes private, voluntary and independent settings delivering the free nursery education entitlement. The DSG provides the total funding to local authorities. It is then up to the local authority to decide how best to apply the total funding across different settings and age groups.
	The level of funding provided to local authorities for under fives is determined by the number of full-time equivalent pupils in the authority, multiplied by the DSG "guaranteed unit of funding". The number of full time equivalent pupils for under fives in PVI settings are calculated according to their age and the number of sessions they complete. The Department consulted widely on the Dedicated Schools Grant between February and May 2005, and on the method of its distribution over summer 2005. The Department will be reviewing various aspects of the funding arrangements over the conning months.
	Local authorities are best placed to determine the most effective use of resources at local level and have discretion over the rate at which they fund settings for delivery of early years provision. However, the "Code of Practice on the Provision of Free Nursery Education Places for Three and Four Year-Olds"—a copy of which has been placed in the Library—strongly encourages local authorities to fund provision delivered in different sectors on an equal basis, taking into account local need and circumstances.

Older People (Skills Training)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what paid apprenticeship programmes are available through his Department (a) for people aged over 55 years and  (b) for people in retirement.

Phil Hope: We currently support a pilot programme for adult apprentices, in three sectors, construction; engineering; and health and social care and the LSC has local flexibility to fund some apprenticeship training for adults. We will decide on the way ahead in the autumn in light of the evaluation of current pilot activity, in England, and the availability of resources.

Overseas Adoptions

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the remarks of the Minister for Children and Families in Standing Committee B on the Children and Adoption Bill, on 14 March 2006,  Official Report, column 33, when he plans to publish guidelines for fee-charging on overseas adoptions.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The Children and Adoption Act 2006 allows the Government to charge a fee to prospective adopters in order to contribute to the cost of processing of inter-country adoption casework. Charging will not be introduced before April 2007. The fees charged cannot exceed the cost to the Government of providing this service and we are committed to making charging fair, straightforward and based on income. We are currently working to develop the details of a system for charging based on these criteria. We intend to discuss this with stakeholders in the autumn before publishing details of the scheme prior to its introduction.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which Private Members' Bills were drafted by his Department in each session since 1997; and which subsequently received Royal Assent.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department is unable to provide the information without incurring disproportionate cost.

School Milk

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether participants in the school milk scheme are required to supply equal amounts of whole and skimmed dairy products;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact of participation in the school milk scheme on schools' ability to meet school meals nutritional standards.

Parmjit Dhanda: The new nutritional standards for school food, announced on 19 May 2006, allow only skimmed or semi-skimmed milk to be provided or made available to pupils.
	There is no requirement on participants in the EU milk subsidy scheme in relation to the proportion of whole, semi-skimmed or skimmed milk products that should be provided.
	There are currently different rates of subsidy for whole milk and semi-skimmed milk. Officials in the Department for Education and Skills, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Rural Payments Agency are considering the impact on levels of subsidy of the new nutritional standards.

Sure Start

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures he is taking to guarantee funding of the Sure Start scheme in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The Waltham Cross Sure Start mini programme has become a Sure Start Children's Centre. We have made a total of £20,242,933 revenue available to Hertfordshire county council as part of the council's 2006-08 General Sure Start Grant, which includes funding for Sure Start Children's Centres. How revenue is distributed to individual centres is a matter for Hertfordshire. However, we have asked local authorities to ensure that revenue funding is continued to be made available to Sure Start local programmes including mini programmes in their Sure Start Children's Centres plan.

Sure Start

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to promote the retention of health visitors by Sure Start initiatives in Hertfordshire; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The recent Department of Health White Paper, "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: a new direction for community services" encouraged the delivery of health visitor and midwifery through Sure Start Children's Centres. We have been working closely with the Department of Health to ensure consistent messages to local authorities and PCTs. Health visitors and midwives, whether based in a Sure Start Centre or operating some sessions from it, will provide ante-natal and post-natal support to families of young children in the area. The precise way in which these services are organised is a matter for an individual local authority to determine, working with their local primary care trust and other health sector partners.

Teachers (Criminal Records)

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether newly appointed teachers will be allowed to commence work pending a response from the Criminal Records Bureau.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 26 June 2006
	Yes. Head teachers will continue to have discretion to allow staff to start work before they receive their disclosure, provided that they have been checked against List 99 and that all other necessary pre-appointment checks have been carried out on them. Head teachers should also reach a judgment on the appropriate level of supervision for such staff.

Teachers (Criminal Records)

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he expects all required Criminal Records Bureau checks on teachers to be completed for the commencement of the autumn term.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has informed the Department that it expects to meet requirements for processing applications under existing arrangements, for new appointees to take up positions in the autumn term, provided that all applications have been completed correctly and the required identity checks have been made.
	In response to Ofsted's recent report, "Safeguarding Children-An evaluation of procedures for checking staff appointed by schools", which identified that some schools did not maintain complete records of employee checks undertaken, the Secretary of State has asked all schools and colleges to make sure they have the records they need to demonstrate that they have undertaken identity, qualifications and List 99/CRB checks on their staff. We expect schools to be able to obtain the necessary information that checks have been undertaken from the individuals concerned or from their local authority or human resources provider. It is only where records cannot be obtained for checks of staff who have joined the school after 1 March 2002 that a new CRB check will need to be undertaken. The CRB will provide its full support to the Department for Education and Skills in managing any additional intake.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Aliens' Employment Act

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many certificates under the Aliens' Employment Act 1955 permitting employment of aliens in the civil service are in force; how many there were in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05 and  (c) 2005-06; and in which Departments those holding such a certificate work.

Patrick McFadden: The total number of aliens' certificates in force during 2005-06 was 67. This compares with 58 in 2004-05 and 57 in 2003-04.
	The Departments and agencies employing aliens and the numbers of aliens' certificates in force during 2005-06 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Department  Number of aliens certificates in force during 2005-06 
			 Central Office of Information 1 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 2 
			 Department for Culture, Media and Sport 1 
			 Ministry of Defence 39 
			 Department for Education and Skills 2 
			 Export Credits Guarantee Department 1 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 6 
			 Government Actuary's Department 1 
			 Office of Government Commerce 1 
			 Department of Health 1 
			 Home Office 1 
			 Meteorological Office 2 
			 NHS Estates 1 
			 Office for National Statistics 1 
			 Ordnance Survey 1 
			 HM Treasury 3 
			 Department for Work and Pensions 3 
			 Total 67

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the average cost to the Cabinet Office was of replying to a letter written by  (a) an hon. Member and  (b) a member of the public, in the last period for which figures are available; and how much of that sum is accounted for by (i) officials' time, (ii) cost of stationery and (iii) postage costs.

Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. The report for 2005 was published on Thursday 30 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 75-80WS.
	The information requested is not recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Delivery Unit

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will make a statement on the recent work of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit.

Hilary Armstrong: The Prime Minister's Delivery Unit is providing support to Departments on aspects of the delivery of the Government's top public service priorities in health, education, home affairs and housing and planning. The unit is also leading a programme of capability reviews, designed to improve Departments' performance in pursuing their current objectives and tackling future challenges.

Public Sector Information

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1377W, on public sector information, what the estimated viewing figures are of each public information film commissioned since 1997; which Government Department commissioned each film; at which dayparts each film was shown; and what the estimated airtime value was of each film.

Patrick McFadden: The detail requested for each film and for the period requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However a breakdown of daypart spread and estimated airtime value by client is available for the period 1 January 2001 to 31 March 2006 and has been placed in the Library.
	Also included is an estimate of television ratings by client for the period since these data became available in July 2005. These figures cover only public information films currently in circulation.
	The figures quoted refer to television broadcast transmissions only. They do not include out of home media, websites or usage by intermediaries such as road safety officers, fire safety officers etc.

HEALTH

A and E Waiting Times

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for accident and emergency departments at hospitals in the Greater London area in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: Information is not collected on the average waiting time in accident and emergency (A and E) departments. However, since 2002-03 information on the number and percentage of all attenders who were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arrival at A and E has been collected and published quarterly. Information for national health service organisations in London is shown in the following table for the second quarter of 2002-03 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  Total time spent in A and E from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge, NHS organisations in London, Q2 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			   Percentage < four hours 
			   Annual  
			  Organisation  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  (Q2 to Q4) 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust 98.0 96.2 89.2 69.8 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 98.2 97.4 88.9 80.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham Primary Care Trust (PCT) 100.0 100.0 — — 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 98.2 97.4 88.9 80.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham Primary Care Trust (PCT) 100.0 100.0 — — 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 97.8 95.5 89.9 78.1 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 100.0 100.0 100.0 — 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 97.6 93.0 82.6 79.2 
			 St. Mary's NHS Trust 98.3 96.9 87.7 69.1 
			 The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust 98.2 93.7 85.2 71.0 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 97.8 95.9 87.1 80.5 
			 Westminster PCT 100.0 100.0 100.0 — 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 95.0 88.5 80.6 71.9 
			 Barnet PCT 99.9 99.7 99.9 — 
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 99.5 96.8 94.1 — 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 97.7 96.3 89.8 84.9 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 97.9 95.6 89.3 90.1 
			 The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 98.1 95.5 85.4 78.6 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 98.9 95.2 89.0 81.0 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust 98.1 93.9 80.9 67.8 
			 Barts and The London NHS Trust 97.6 95.0 87.0 68.7 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 98.1 95.1 87.4 70.1 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 96.6 91.7 80.9 62.4 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 97.2 95.8 83.8 60.1 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 98.3 96.7 91.1 70.9 
			 Guy's and St. Thomas1 NHS Foundation Trust 98.0 96.6 93.7 73.1 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust 98.5 96.8 90.1 80.7 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 98.2 96.1 91.7 74.1 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 97.7 95.6 91.3 68.0 
			 The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 97.2 94.8 89.1 68.1 
			 Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 96.5 93.6 89.2 78.1 
			  Source: Department of Health dataset QMAE

Alzheimer's Disease

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will make it her policy to allow general practitioners to prescribe Ebixa on the NHS;
	(2)  what recent guidance she has issued to general practitioners on the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in its  (a) early,  (b) moderate and  (c) severe stages; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has not issued any recent guidance to general practitioners on the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in its early, moderate and severe stages and, there are no plans for the Department to issue guidance to general practitioners on prescribing Ebixa on the national health service. Until the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence issues revised guidance to the NHS, its original guidance issued in 2001 continues to apply.

Alzheimer's Disease

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the possible impact of prohibiting Ebixa on the treatment of people in the later stages of Alzheimer's disease who have behavioural problems; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has not commissioned and evaluated any recent research on the possible impact of prohibiting Ebixa for treatment of people in the later stages of Alzheimer's disease who have behavioural problems. Until the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence issues revised guidance to the national health service, its original guidance issued in 2001 continues to apply.

Alzheimer's Disease

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the possible impact on carers of withdrawing Alzheimer's drug treatments; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has not commissioned and evaluated any recent research on the possible impact on carers of withdrawing Alzheimer's drug treatments. Until the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence issues revised guidance to the national health service, its original guidance issued in 2001 continues to apply.

Alzheimer's Disease

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will review the decision of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to withdraw access to anticholinesterase drugs from patients at the early stages of Alzheimer's disease; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) appraisal of these drugs has not yet concluded. Until NICE issues revised guidance to the national health service, its original guidance issued in 2001 continues to apply.

Asthma

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to ensure more people with asthma take-up care plans.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 22 June 2006
	Meeting the care needs of people with long-term conditions, including better access to care plans, is a key theme of the White Paper, 'Our Health, Our Care, Our Say'.
	Departmental officials will be seeking to engage with key stakeholders in taking forward White Paper commitments around care planning and reducing emergency bed stays.

Audiology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the assessment, fitting and follow-up of digital hearing aids is included in  (a) payment-by-results and  (b) practice based commissioning; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The provision of digital hearing aids is not included in payment by results because the entire digital hearing aids service is not part of the reference costs which underpin the tariff. This is due to their treatment as capitalised grouped assets.
	As long as the purchase of digital hearing aids in bulk by national health service bodies is deemed to be a capital transaction, they will remain outside the reference costs collections and therefore payment by results.
	Practice based commissioning gives practices greater freedom to commission services for their patients. Only core general medical services/personal medical services specialised services, services commissioned regionally and nationally, and national screening programmes are excluded from the potential scope of a practice's indicative budget.

Autism

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to promote early diagnosis of autism.

Ivan Lewis: The autism research co-ordination group brings together Government officials, professional bodies and voluntary sector organisations to identify gaps in research, including research on diagnosis, and advises policy makers.
	The autism spectrum disorders exemplar follows a patient journey from diagnosis to transition into adult services at age 16. This exemplar illustrates some of the key themes of the children, young people and maternity services national service framework. The exemplar is intended to be useful in a number of ways, providing a multi-disciplinary training tool for staff working with children and young people to raise awareness of specific issues, including early identification, diagnosis and intervention.
	The promotion of early diagnosis of autism is a matter for professional bodies.

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings have taken place between the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and its constituent primary health care trusts to discuss its operating framework; and when the planned savings required of each organisation within the SHA were agreed.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not collect details of meetings between strategic health authorities (SHAs) and primary care trusts (PCTs). This is a local matter for Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA and its PCTs.

Child and Adolescence Mental Health Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are minimum standards for the performance of Child and Adolescence Mental Health Services.

Ivan Lewis: Improving child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) is one of the priorities for this Government, as emphasised by the public service agreement standard of a comprehensive CAMHS to be in place by December 2006. This commitment to improve CAMHS has been backed by significant additional funding, over £300 million in the last three years.
	The CAMHS module of the children's national service framework for England (September 2004) sets the framework for CAMHS for the next 10 years. It sets the standard that all children and young people, from birth to their 18th birthday, who have mental health problems and disorders, will have access to timely, integrated, high quality multidisciplinary mental health services to ensure effective assessment, treatment and support, for them, their parents or carers, and other family members.

Choose and Book

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of patients who have been referred to an inappropriate doctor in secondary care under the choose and book system; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: National data on the number of rejected referrals and the reasons for these such as inappropriate referral are not centrally collected. However, these data are available at an organisational level, for example within general practitioner practices and acute trusts. In future, it is intended that national level data will be collected through the secondary uses service and plans are currently being developed.
	Some choose and book referrals, in addition to some non-choose and book referrals, are rejected. Referrals are usually rejected either when referrers have selected inappropriate services or when providers have not given sufficient detail about the services they offer. These rejections are not linked to the information technology system, as choose and book enables providers to describe their services in sufficient detail to allow referrers to identify the appropriate service, and to regularly review and update their descriptions based on feedback.

Choose and Book

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many appointments on the choose and book system  (a) require the use of the telephone and  (b) have the option of using the telephone to book the appointment.

Ivan Lewis: The option of booking by telephone is available for all appointments booked through the choose and book service.
	Where service providers have a patient administration system which is compliant with the choose and book application, services are directly bookable and appointment slots may be booked electronically without requiring the use of the telephone.
	About a third of the referrals currently made by general practitioners are being made through the directly bookable services.

Choose and Book

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the latest figures for the use of the choose and book system are derived  (a) from the system's generation of a unique booking reference number and  (b) from the booking of an appointment; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the latest figures for the use of the choose and book system are for those appointments which are made entirely electronically and have not involved the patient or general practitioner in using the telephone; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: In May 2006, about 116,000 referrals were made through the choose and book service, which was an increase of approximately 46,000 on the April 2006 figure. These include referrals to outpatient services and clinical assessment services where bookings were made, but excludes re-bookings.
	The Department does not centrally collect data on the generation of unique booking reference numbers.
	Entirely electronic bookings may be made in the general practitioner's (GP) surgery or via the Internet, where services are directly bookable. No information is collected on how many bookings to directly bookable services were made by telephone, either from within the GP surgery or later by the patient.

Choose and Book

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 634W on the choose and book system, what budget had been set for the  (a) choice and  (b) choose and book anticipated costs (i) for administrative and other staff, (ii) incurred by consultants and acute trusts, (iii) for other computer software and hardware not directly associated with the NHS Connecting for Health Agency and (iv) for other administration infrastructure for each year the programme was budgeted to operate.

Ivan Lewis: Local budget setting is a matter for individual primary care trusts, acute trusts and strategic health authorities.

Continuing Care

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether individuals receiving NHS funded continuing care will be reassessed under the new criteria.

Ivan Lewis: The consultation on an improved national framework for continuing care was launched on 19 June 2006. We cannot anticipate what the new framework will be until the consultation is completed and we have considered all responses.

Continuing Care

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people met the eligibility criteria for continuing NHS health care in each of the last six years; and how many met the criteria at the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people left continuing NHS health care in each of the last six years;
	(3)  how many residents in nursing homes were fully funded by the NHS under continuing care criteria in each year since 1997;
	(4)  how many people have been granted recompense for being wrongly denied fully-funded national health service continuing care in each of the last 10 years; and what the aggregate cost of that recompense was;
	(5)  how many people have contacted the Health Service Ombudsman regarding their failure to receive continuing care funding for a relative in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of people newly eligible national health service continuing care, which has been collected by the Department since 2002-03, is shown in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: People newly meeting eligibility criteria for continuing care 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 11,508 
			 2003-04 14,573 
			 2004-05 15,976 
			 2005-06 20,353 
			  Source: LDPR line 8229 
		
	
	NHS continuing care can be provided in any setting, including a care home or an individual's own home. The Department does not collect information on the settings in which NHS continuing care is received. Information on the total number of people receiving NHS continuing care is shown in table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: People receiving continuing care 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 18,439 
			 2003-04 19,984 
			 2004-05 20,842 
			 2005-06 25,008 
			  Source: LDPR line 8228 
		
	
	Information on the number of people who ceased to require NHS continuing care is not held centrally.
	Of the 11,655 requests for investigations received by 31 March 2004, 86.1 per cent. had been investigated, with 1,796 being found eligible for restitution. No later data is available. We expect that the NHS will pay around £180 million in restitution. The Department does not collect data about the number of people who subsequently took cases to the Health Ombudsman. The Health Ombudsman is entirely independent of the Department and questions should be addressed directly to Ann Abraham.

Cost of Care Analysis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities have undergone an independent cost of care analysis on which to base local fee negotiations with independent and third sector care providers.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not available centrally.
	The principles for contracting for care services set out in building capacity and partnerships in care (BCPC) are: fairness to service-users, to taxpayers and service providers; and the encouragement of fair competition. The BCPC is available on the Department's website at: www.doh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/05/36/33/04053633.pdf

Dementia (Residential Care)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential care places are available for individuals with early onset dementia.

Ivan Lewis: I understand from the chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, which registers, inspects and regulates care homes, that the information is not collected in the format requested. At 31 March 2006, there were 5,162 care homes registered under the categories of dementia or dementia (elderly), with 192,833 care places.

Departmental Staff

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent posts have been moved from her Department to the private sector in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not held centrally at the Department.

Diagnostic Treatment (Independent Sector)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the recent progress with her Department's plans to procure extra capacity in diagnostics from the independent sector.

Ivan Lewis: Invitations to negotiate have now been issued for all seven of the regional diagnostics schemes of the phase two procurement. Preferred bidders are expected to be appointed by August with services starting next year.

Foundation Trusts

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which foundation trusts have  (a) opt-in membership arrangements and  (b) opt-out membership arrangements; in how many cases in each trust there have been contested elections to the governing body; what the turnout was at each; and what the (i) dates and (ii) results of these elections were.

Ivan Lewis: National health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs) are free to decide their own membership arrangements provided that their constitutions meet the requirements set out in schedule 1 to the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. I am advised by the chairman of Monitor, whose statutory name is the independent regulator of NHSFTs, that all NHSFT constitutions are publicly available on Monitor's website at www.monitor-nhsf.gov.uk.
	Information relating to the elections to the governing bodies of individual NHSFTs can be obtained by contacting the chairmen of the respective trusts.

General Practitioners (Romford)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners per head of population there are in Romford, Essex.

Ivan Lewis: The table shows the numbers of general medical practitioners per 100,000 head of population for Havering Primary Care Trust at 30 September 2004-05, which are the latest figures available.
	
		
			  General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)( 1)  per 100,000 head of population, for Havering PCT, at 30 September 2004-05 
			  Number (headcount) 
			2004  2005 
			 5A4  Havering PCT   
			  All practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) 118 122 
			  All practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) per 100,000 head of population 52.4 54.2 
			 (1) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes contracted general practitioners, general medical practitioner others and primary medical service others.  Note: 2004 population figures from the 2001 Office for National Statistics (ONS) resident estimates have been used for 2005 organisation calculations, as population figures for 2005 at organisation level are not yet available, these figures are therefore subject to change.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care general and personal medical services statistics 2001 ONS Population Census.

Genetic Testing

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to monitor performance against the target set in the 2003 Genetics White Paper that anyone taking a genetic test would receive their result within two to eight weeks by 2006;
	(2)  what the average waiting time was for results of  (a) breast cancer and  (b) genetic tests in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The Government recognise that some patients have experienced long waits for genetic tests and this will have caused stress and anxiety. This is unacceptable.
	So, to improve access and cut waiting times, the genetics White Paper 'Our Inheritance, Our Future—realising the potential of genetics in the NHS', published in June 2003, committed up to £18 million for national health service genetics laboratories in England. This major investment is boosting capacity and supporting modernisation in genetics laboratories, thus helping them meet the rising demand for genetics tests.
	To ensure that this investment resulted in real patient benefit, the White Paper set out new standards for genetic test turn around times, to be achieved by the end of 2006. These are:
	within three days where the result is needed urgently, for example for prenatal diagnosis;
	within two weeks where the potential genetic mutation is already known, for example, because another family member has already been tested; and
	within eight weeks for unknown mutations in a large gene.
	This money was allocated during the last two financial years (2004 to 2006), and laboratories are working hard to get their new facilities up to speed to meet these standards.

Health Service Commissioning

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2006 to question 57167, what responsibility she has for the commissioning of publicly-funded health services from the private sector; if she will make it her policy to collect centrally information relating to the companies which are  (a) contracted and  (b) due to be contracted to provide such services; and if she will list the centrally negotiated contracts with (i) United Health and (ii) other private sector providers.

Andy Burnham: The Department is responsible for ensuring that health care services are of high quality and provide value for money and good outcomes for patients, whether commissioned centrally or locally and whether commissioned from the independent sector or from national health service bodies. The Department has not awarded any contracts for the provision of health care services to United Health. United Health holds one contract with the Department. That is for project management rather than service provision.
	Other independent sector providers hold centrally awarded contracts for the provision of health care services. These are:
	 NHS walk-in centres with a commuter focus
	Atos Origin IT Services (UK) Ltd.
	Walk-In Health Ltd.
	Care UK Plc
	NetCare Ltd.
	 Mobile magnetic resonance imaging
	Alliance Medical Ltd.
	 Pharmacy chlamydia screening pathfinder
	Boots The Chemists Ltd.
	 Treatment centres
	Capio UK
	InterHealth
	Nations Healthcare
	Partnership Health Group Ltd.
	Mercury Health DTC (1) Ltd.
	Netcare Healthcare UK Ltd.
	UK Specialist Hospitals
	 Mobile ophthalmology
	Netcare Healthcare UK Ltd.
	The Department does not collect centrally information about individual companies providing health care services under contracts which are agreed locally with primary care trusts or NHS trusts and has no plans to do so.

Health Services (Surrey and Sussex)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contribution the Department made to the two documents recently produced by Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority on the future configuration of local health services.

Caroline Flint: The Department has made no contribution to the two recent documents produced by Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority on the future configuration of local health services. It is for the local health economy to decide on the configuration of local health services.

Health Services (Surrey and Sussex)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research  (a) the Department and  (b) the NHS (i) has carried out and (ii) is planning into travelling times for patients to hospitals in the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority area.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not collect this information centrally, and has no plans to do so.

Health Services (Surrey and Sussex)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) meetings and  (b) discussions her Department has had with representatives of the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority in the last 12 months; and whether changes in services provided at Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust have been discussed.

Caroline Flint: The configuration of local services is a matter for local health economies. The Department's recovery and support unit (RSU) liaises regularly with representatives of Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority (SHA) on performance and strategic matters.
	The Secretary of State met with Candy Morris, Chief Executive of Surrey and Sussex SHA, on 22 March 2006 to welcome her to the position and discuss general issues in the region.

Healthcare Facility (Oldchurch Park, Romford)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many nurses will be employed in the new Oldchurch Park Hospital; and how many are employed at the existing Oldchurch Hospital;
	(2)  how many of those employed at the Oldchurch and Harold Wood hospitals are expected to be employed in the new healthcare facility being built in Romford.

Ivan Lewis: Data on the number of staff currently employed at Oldchurch and Harold Wood hospitals that are expected to be employed in the new healthcare facility being build in Romford is not collected.
	Data are not collected on the number of nurses employed at the existing Oldchurch Hospital. The number of nurses employed at Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals National Health Service Trust is 2,447, September 2005 being the latest figures available.
	North East London Strategic Health Authority has advised departmental officials that the breakdown of funded establishment for nurses in the new hospital, not including midwives, is:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Qualified nurses 930 
			 Unqualified nurses 488 
			 Total 1,418

Healthcare Facility (Oldchurch Park, Romford)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the total cost of the new hospital at Oldchurch Park, Romford is expected to be;
	(2)  when she expects the new hospital being built at Oldchurch Park, Romford to be  (a) finished and  (b) opened.

Ivan Lewis: North East London Strategic Health Authority has advised departmental officials that the practical completion date for the new hospital being built at Oldchurch Park, Romford will be 15 October 2006. There will then follow a period of deep cleaning. The hospital is expected to be fully operational by December 2006.
	The total cost of the new hospital will be £261 million.

HIV/AIDS

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what HIV/AIDS prevention work is being undertaken in  (a) England,  (b) Redbridge and  (c) Waltham Forest; what change is planned over the next 12 months; what high profile publicity work is being undertaken for prevention; what strategies local public health authorities are adopting; whether these are the same in each area; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Nationally, targeted HIV prevention work is being undertaken specifically for gay men and people from African communities living in England. These are the two groups most at risk from HIV in England. This work is managed by the Terrence Higgins Trust and the African HIV Policy network respectively.
	Redbridge primary care trust (PCT) has continued to prioritise HIV/AIDS prevention work as part of the overall sexual health strategy and action plan and they commission four agencies to provide targeted HIV/AIDS prevention work with the most affected communities: gay men and black Africans.
	Waltham Forest PCT has an ongoing investment in the promotion of sexual health in schools. This is being delivered by the personal, social and health education coordinator, EduAction. They have also been working very closely with the department of sexual health at Whipps Cross University hospital and are at the stage of thinking with the clinical teams of how they can improve the capacity for prevention and promotion of sexual health delivery by primary care teams. They also participate in the sector wide contracts managed by the London specialised commissioning group.
	Nationally and locally, HIV prevention plans will continue to target the groups most at risk from HIV. There are no plans for major new high profile HIV publicity work nationally or locally in the next 12 months, above and beyond the targeted work mentioned above and the broader national sexual health campaign planned for later this year.
	Strategies for HIV prevention, along with a wider range of issues on HIV are set out in 'Recommended Standards for NHS HIV services' published by The Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health in 2004.

Hospital Building

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many major hospital building projects have been completed since 4 May 1979 and are now fully operational, broken down by  (a) projects which were given the go-ahead between 4 May 1979 and 30 April 1997 and  (b) projects which were given the go-ahead on or after 1 May 1997.

Andy Burnham: A copy of the full list of operational hospital building projects which were given the go ahead between 1 January 1980 and 30 April 1999, and 1 May 1997 to the present day is available in the Library. Data are not held centrally for schemes before 1 January 1980.
	This list has been updated since the previous time this information was used to place data on the record, on 27 February 2006,  Official Report, columns 472-73W. The capital value for all schemes has been updated to 2006-07 prices; previously they were at 1999-2000 prices. This in turn means that the threshold we have used for a major hospital building project increases from £50 million to £58.7 million. Three schemes have also opened since the list was last reviewed (the last three on the list).

Independent Sector Treatment Centres

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what approved independent sector treatment centres there are; and how many elective procedures are expected to be carried out at each one each year.

Ivan Lewis: Independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) contracts stipulate the expected casemix and volume of healthcare to be completed during the five-year period of the contract. The contracts allow flexibility in the actual casemix in order to meet national health service commissioners' needs. The total volumes currently expected for the agreed wave one ISTC contracts are shown in the following table, although actual volumes may change depending on the casemixes that are referred.
	
		
			  Wave 1 ISTC schemes 
			Number of: 
			  Scheme  Facilities  Procedures( 1)  Diagnostic tests( 1) 
			 Ophthalmic Chain (OC123) Mobile units 44,737 — 
			 East Cornwall Bodmin NHS Treatment Centre 26,767 — 
			 East Lincolnshire Boston NHS Treatment Centre 7,263 2,000 
			 West Lincolnshire Gainsborough NHS Treatment Centre 6,365 — 
			 North Oxford Horton NHS Treatment Centre 11,197 — 
			 NEYNL Clifton Park NHS Treatment Centre 9,964 — 
			 Southampton Capio New Hall NHS Treatment Centre 11,468 — 
			 Northumberland Cobalt NHS Treatment Centre 10,080 — 
			 TV3500 Blakelands NHS Treatment Centre Horton NHS Treatment Centre Capio Reading NHS Treatment Centre 17,417 — 
			 Kidderminster Kidderminster NHS Treatment Centre 9,000 — 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside Cheshire and Merseyside NHS Treatment Centre 24,817 — 
			 Nottingham Queen's Medical Centre Nottingham 110,683 — 
			 Maidstone Surgi Centre Maidstone Hospital 55,589 48,993 
			 Outer North East London King George Hospital 55,615 — 
			 Brighton Sussex Orthopaedics NHS Treatment Centre 26,451 — 
			 Wycombe Mid and South Buckingham Diagnostic Centre — 74,880 
			 Medway Will Adams NHS Treatment Centre 19,770 — 
			 Portsmouth St Mary's NHS Treatment Centre 34,155 48,450 
			 Havant TBC — 78,600 
			 Bradford Eccleshill NHS Treatment Centre 27,416 73,750 
			 Burton Midlands NHS Treatment Centre 64,814 — 
			 Trent and South Yorkshire Barlborough NHS Treatment Centre 22,000 — 
			 Shepton Mallet Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre 56,242 — 
			 Greater Manchester Greater Manchester Surgical Centre 44,863 — 
			 Plymouth Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre 16,512 — 
			 (1) Current expected total volume over the contract period.

Intermediate Care

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Service Framework for Older People Standard Three on Intermediate Care has been met in respect of intermediate care beds and supported intermediate care places.

Ivan Lewis: Since 1999-2000, the national health service has delivered an extra 18,253 beds and places in intermediate care; 272 per cent. more than the combined target.

Laundry Services

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS hospitals have contracted out their laundry services; and what plans there are for further such contracting out.

Andy Burnham: Information is collected centrally on hospital trusts that have outsourced all or part of their provision of laundry services and where figures have been reported, these have been placed in the Library. The information represents the position as reported at 31 March 2005, which is the latest available.
	The data were provided by national health service organisations on a voluntary basis and they are incomplete. It is for local trusts to determine the extent to which and service should be contracted out.

Ministerial Meetings

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she issues to Ministers in her Department from  (a) this House and  (b) the House of Lords on responding to requests from hon. Members for meetings; and if she will take steps to increase the accountability of Ministers to hon. Members.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The Secretary of State for Health makes time available to meet hon. Members of all parties, as does her ministerial team from both the House and the House of Lords. She encourages hon. Members to approach parliamentary private secretaries who will facilitate and organise such meetings as required.
	The Secretary of State for Health is pleased to learn that the hon. Member met the Minister of State for Health (Reform) on 26 June, following the postponement of two previous meetings due to diary pressures on both sides.
	Ministers are fully accountable to Parliament for their policies, decisions and actions, as set out in the Ministerial Code.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in her Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in each of the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: The majority of overnight accommodation is booked via the Department's agent Expotel Hotel Reservations. The costs for the last three years are:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 1,534,333 
			 2004-05 1,015,621 
			 2005-06 1,620,754 
		
	
	The costs are not routinely broken down by location, or by civil servants and special advisers.
	Information on other overnight accommodation is not collected routinely.

National Programme for Information Technology

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the National Programme for Information Technology, broken down by major cost area; and what the total expenditure on the programme was originally expected to be.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Programme area  Contractor  Lifetime contract value (£ million)  Expenditure to 31 March 2006 (£ million) 
			 Spine BT 620 239.8 
			 N3 broadband network BT 530 130.5 
			 Choose and book core contract Atos Origin (SchlumbergerSema) 64.5 27.1 
			 London LSP BT CCA 996 1.3 
			 North East LSP Accenture 1,099 51.6 
			 NW/W Mids LSP CSC 973 119.3 
			 Eastern LSP Accenture 934 57.9 
			 Southern LSP Fujitsu 986 26.5 
			 Total  6,202.5 654

National Programme for Information Technology

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all consultants have been provided with a personal computer under the National Programme for Information Technology.

Caroline Flint: A target to provide consultants with networked desktop personal computer (PC) access to the NHS net had already been substantially achieved by the end of 2002, before the national programme was established.
	Additionally, after the inception of the national programme, during 2003-04, the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency undertook an electronic reverse auction procurement on behalf of the programme to supply some 60,000 PCs, driving down the cost of providing personal computers to the staff of national health service organisations in both the short and longer term.

NHS Facilities

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer of 24 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1477, what new NHS facilities were included in the cost of £32 million quoted by the Prime Minister.

Caroline Flint: The £32 million quoted is the cost of the Gloucestershire Royal hospital redevelopment scheme at the Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust, which opened in March 2005.

NHS IT Support

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding her Department provides to health trusts to spend on IT; and whether the funding is drawn from the same allocation as frontline patient services.

Caroline Flint: National health service trusts are paid for the provision of care services commissioned from them by primary care trusts (PCTs). The great majority of funding allocated to PCTs is not hypothecated for specific purposes. Exceptionally, £84 million was allocated for local implementation of the national programme for information technology (IT) in 2004-05, and a further £84 million in 2005-06.
	Each NHS organisation is expected to use its resources in a way that delivers the best possible care for patients and value for money. Spending on modern information technology is vital to getting the best out of NHS staff and equipment, and makes them more effective quicker than any other investment. The NHS already spends about £1.2 billion each year on IT, and the Department has have always made it clear that it expects NHS trusts to follow the recommendations in the 2002 Wanless report to increase this over time. Monitoring progress towards achieving this is part of the Department's regular performance management arrangements for the NHS. It has therefore always been recognised that some national programme implementation costs, for example, on training and local hardware upgrades, will be borne locally over the programme's 10-year life.

Nursing Staff (Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average ratio of trained nursing staff to patients is in hospitals in the Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust.

Ivan Lewis: Figures on staff to patient ratios are not collected centrally.

Older People Framework

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which local health care providers in England have not complied with National Senior Framework for Older People Standard Six in establishing an integrated falls service and risk management procedures.

Ivan Lewis: Data collected by the Department indicated that by April 2005 74 per cent. of integrated falls services were in place. A national audit of falls and bone health services produced by the Royal College of Physicians in January 2006 found that 74 per cent. of trusts in England are part of a co-ordinated, integrated, multi-professional, multi-agency service for falls. Overall, the audit results suggested that most areas have the infrastructure with the potential to identify need and for provision of specialist falls assessment and treatment.

Primary Care Trusts

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the cost was of setting up  (a) Yorkshire Wolds and Coast primary care trust and  (b) East Yorkshire primary care trust; how much the recent reorganisation of each trust cost; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how much she expects the reorganisation of primary care trusts to cost; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The costs of establishing the Yorkshire Wolds and East Yorkshire primary care trusts (PCTs) were met from within the financial allocations to the health authorities and are therefore not identifiable.
	Total costs of the reconfiguration of PCTs, announced on 16 May 2006, are dependant on a number of factors, including the number of new organisations, number of people in the new organisations, new pay ranges for very senior managers, as well as changes in estate costs following reconfiguration. For these reasons, it is not possible at present to give definite costs.

Public Health Screening Programmes

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what public health screening programmes were introduced in England in each year since 1979.

Caroline Flint: The following public health screening programmes have been introduced in England since 1979: congenital hypothyroidism (1981), cervical cancer (1988), breast cancer (1988), Down's syndrome (2001), newborn hearing (2001), sickle cell and thalassaemia (2002), Chlamydia (2002), diabetic retinopathy (2003), cystic fibrosis (2004) and bowel cancer (2006).

Sickness Absence

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the costs to the NHS resulting annually from sickness absence among health service employees.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected by the Department.

Social Care IT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Department's report 'Delivering 21st century IT support for the NHS', what progress has been made on taking forward developments in social care IT.

Ivan Lewis: Prime responsibility for implementing information technology support for social services lies with individual local authorities. However, with a view to delivering the aim of achieving appropriate integration of health and social care information systems in England by 2010 the Department's NHS Connecting for Health agency has undertaken a number of national initiatives to support local action. These include the establishment in 2005 of the electronic social care record board (ESCRB). The board has responsibility for overseeing national implementation of the electronic: social care record and ensuring consistency of its implementation by local authorities with social services responsibilities.
	The board engages with the work of the national health service national programme for information technology to enable sharing of information across traditional boundaries. The board is providing advice and guidance, and will establish national standards for the electronic exchange of information between health, education and social care agencies in support of implementation of the electronic social care record, whilst recognising the independence of local authorities. It will ensure appropriate links are made with NHS electronic patient records and children's electronic information systems.
	Under the auspices of the ESCRB, a study has been commissioned into the options for national implementation of the electronic single assessment process for older people. This is a prime example of shared activity between health and social care. Consultation has been undertaken with health, social care and supplier representatives, and a report is due later this year.
	A variety of information systems and tools are now available to support this process. There have been successful local deployments of such systems by national programme suppliers notably in the programme's North East and Eastern clusters. They are subject to the same strict access controls as apply to national programme-delivered patient healthcare records, requiring the use by social workers of a smartcard with identification and a pass code, which can only be obtained upon verification of identity and through a formal user registration process. These systems have demonstrated the value of the technology and its potential to support the rapid development of integrated multi-agency working across all client groups.
	In addition, allocations of the £25 million capital expenditure grant recently paid to local authorities by the Department for improving information management made specific reference to the single assessment process in the expectation that the grant will be used to facilitate integration of social care information in the implementation of the NHS care records service.

Stroud Maternity Unit

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) on the future of Stroud Maternity Unit; and what plans she has to consult formally with the RCM as part of the ongoing review of maternity services;
	(2)  what research her Department has commissioned into the  (a) financial viability,  (b) safety and  (c) efficacy of independent maternity units since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Ministers have had no discussions with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) on the future of Stroud maternity unit. On 12 June 2006, the Gloucestershire health community launched a 12-week public consultation on the future of national health service services in the county, including inpatient maternity services. Should the RCM wish to make a formal response to the consultation, it should do so via the consultation co-ordinator at Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust. Further details can be found online at: www.healthingloucestershire.nhs.uk.
	The Department has not commissioned any research into the financial viability, safety and efficacy of independent (non-NHS) maternity units since 1997. Independent maternity units should meet the standards set out by the Department's "Independent health care: national minimum standards, regulations" document, which was published in February 2002.
	The Department commissioned the national perinatal epidemiology unit (NPEU) to undertake a review of evidence about clinical, psychosocial and economic outcomes for women with straightforward pregnancies who plan to give birth in NHS midwifery-led birth centres, both freestanding and those alongside hospital obstetric units, and the outcomes for their babies. The findings, published as the "Report of a structured review of birth centre outcomes, M. Stewart et al, 2004", are available on the NPEU's website at:
	www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/birthcentrereview/birthcentrereview_downloads/RevisedVersion7thJuly2005BirthReview2.pdf.

TB Vaccination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the process is for a young person visiting a country where tuberculosis is prevalent to obtain a vaccination on the NHS.

Caroline Flint: The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is recommended for those under 35 years who are going to live or work with local people for more than one month in a country where the annual incidence of tuberculosis is 40/100,000 or greater.
	The BCG vaccine for this purpose is available free of charge on the national health service and can be obtained from the local chest clinic although it can be available from other sources depending on local arrangements.
	Alternatively, the BCG vaccination can be given on a private basis from a travel clinic offering this service.

Waiting Lists (Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are on waiting lists for  (a) heart,  (b) lung,  (c) liver and  (d) kidney operations in the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not available in the format requested. However, the table shows the number of patients waiting for in-patient admission for the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust on a provider basis for the quarter ending March 2006.
	
		
			  Quarter ending March 2006 of patients waiting for in-patient admission for the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust on a provider basis 
			  Specialty  Patients waiting 
			 General surgery 1,813 
			 Urology 790 
			 Trauma and orthopaedics 1,647 
			 Ear, nose and throat 1,112 
			 Ophthalmology 1,166 
			 Oral surgery 441 
			 Neurosurgery 77 
			 General medicine 10 
			 Haematology (clinical) 1 
			 Cardiology 389 
			 Dermatology 249 
			 Neurology 28 
			 Rheumatology 3 
			 Paediatrics 3 
			 Gynaecology 1,115 
			 Clinical oncology 1 
			 Grand total 8,845 
			  Source: Department of Health KH07.

Waiting Lists (Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents of Romford constituency are waiting for operations in hospitals within the Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust.

Ivan Lewis: The number of patients waiting for an in-patient admission for the month ending April 2006, on a commissioner basis for Barking and Dagenham Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Havering PCT is 2,873 and 4,490 respectively.

Worthing Hospital

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 7 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 260-61, on NHS Performance, what progress she has made in looking into the possible closure of Worthing hospital's accident and emergency department; and whether she plans to discuss this with the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority.

Caroline Flint: I am informed by officials that Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has instigated a programme, Creating an NHS Fit for the Future, to ensure it is providing the best and most appropriate care and that it is providing value for money in order to achieve long-term sustainability.
	This programme is currently in its discussion phase and events have been arranged to enable as many people as possible to give their views to help shape both the debate and any proposals for change that may arise from it.
	Any proposals emerging from the discussion that recommend significant changes to the services provided will be subject to a full public consultation exercise, most likely to take place in the autumn.
	No proposals have been made in relation to the future of Worthing hospital's accident and emergency department, so therefore there are no plans to discuss this matter with Surrey and Sussex SHA.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Iran

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her US counterparts on EU proposals to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme.

Margaret Beckett: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the oral answer I gave earlier today (UIN 80221), at column 116.

Iran

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on UK bilateral relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Ian McCartney: Like the rest of the international community, we have serious concerns about Iran's policies in areas such as its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes; attitude towards terrorism; respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; approach to the Middle East Peace Process; and role in the region. Progress in our relations with Iran will depend on action by Iran to address international concerns in these areas.

Iran

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the Iranian authorities on recent suppression of demonstrations  (a) in Azerbaijan Province and  (b) by women in Tehran.

Kim Howells: There were violent demonstrations in the three Azeri populated provinces of Eastern Azerbaijan, Western Azerbaijan and Ardabil at the end of May. Reports indicate that several people died in violent clashes between the Iranian security forces and the demonstrators. Many were arrested, including journalists and students.
	On 12 June, the security forces used violence to break up a peaceful women's protest in Tehran. The protest called for an end to legal discrimination against women; for a woman's testimony in court to have equal value to that of a man; and for a woman to be able to choose her employment and where she travels without the prior permission of her husband. Police officers were deployed—some used batons and pepper sprays liberally. According to the Iranian judiciary, 42 women and 28 men were arrested. We understand all except one have now been released. We support the EU's plans to raise the violent actions against the women's protest with the Iranian authorities.

United Nations

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on reform of the United Nations.

Geoff Hoon: The Government have consistently supported reform of the United Nations to make it stronger and more effective. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in his recent Georgetown speech, we want global institutions—with the UN at the core—to be better able to tackle global challenges. We will continue to work with partners to achieve this important objective.

Palestinian Authority

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on recent developments in relations between the UK Government and the Palestinian Authority.

Geoff Hoon: We continue to work with Palestinian President Abbas to take the peace process forward.
	The Palestinian Government must commit to the Quartet's principles of non-violence, recognising Israel, and accepting previous agreements and obligations. Hamas must start implementing these principles.
	Following the Hamas led PA's failure to commit to these principles, the UK and other key donors suspended direct budgetary assistance to the PA. We continue to support the Palestinian people, and on 17 June endorsed a "Temporary International Mechanism" to provide direct assistance.

Palestinian Authority

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on Israel's unilateral policy on a settlement with the Palestinians; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Both Palestinian President Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Olmert have committed to negotiations.
	My right. hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear that the priority now is negotiations. These are manifestly the best way to move this process forward.
	We remain committed to the vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, and the establishment of a just and lasting peace.

Turkey

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on negotiations on Turkey's accession to the EU.

Geoff Hoon: Since opening accession negotiations on 3 October, the Commission has been assessing Turkey's existing legislation against the 35 chapters of the EU "acquis" and has now published its reports on five. We were pleased that on 12 June the EU and Turkey opened and provisionally closed negotiations on the first chapter, Science and Research. As both the EU and Turkey recognise, much remains to be done before accession.

European Constitution

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the future of the European Constitution.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given earlier today, (UIN 80220), by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe at column 128.

European Constitution

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the future of the European constitution.

Geoff Hoon: There is no consensus among member states on how to proceed with the constitutional treaty. The European Council agreed a twin track approach based on delivering concrete results under the current treaties and further consultations between member states. Decisions on how to continue the reform process will be taken by the end of 2008 with no presumption on the process's outcome or end date.

European Court of Justice

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with other EU member states on the role of the European Court of Justice.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any recent discussions with EU colleagues on the role of the European Court of Justice.

European Court of Justice

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the role of the European Court of Justice.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any recent discussions with EU colleagues on the role of the European Court of Justice.

Afghanistan

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the human rights situation in Afghanistan.

Ian McCartney: The Human Rights situation in Afghanistan is improving, but we remain conscious that more remains to be done. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently funding seven projects aimed at increasing women's rights and legal awareness and has provided $1 million towards the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission this year.
	The Commission is proving successful. It has closed approximately 40 "private" prisons and had released some 1,600 illegally detained persons.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of progress in advancing  (a) good governance, justice and the rule of law and  (b) reconstruction and development in Afghanistan since the signing of the Afghanistan Compact; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Following the inauguration of Afghanistan's National Assembly in December 2005, both the lower and upper Houses of the National Assembly have begun work.
	In March 2006, in line with the public administrative recommendations in the Afghanistan Compact, President Karzai has rationalised Government Ministries, of which two were abolished, and reshuffled his Cabinet. Newly appointed Cabinet Ministers appeared before Parliament to receive approval. This process, and the parliamentary vote, was broadcast live on television. In addition, the National Assembly has approved the financial year 2006-07 Budget and raised objections to some of the President's nominations for the Supreme Court. These are clear signs that the democratic mechanisms necessary to support governance and the rule of law are becoming more established in Afghanistan.
	Law enforcement capability and judicial reform capacity building have continued apace. The German-led Police Reform programme, assisted by the US, is continuing to develop the Afghan National Police (ANP) into a professional, credible and effective civil force. In June 2006, President Karzai acted upon the final recommendations of the Police Reform Commission in the second round of the police reform process, appointing 86 senior officials and streamlining the ANP's senior command. Counter-narcotics police interdiction operations continue with increased resources and personnel. The Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan and the Afghanistan Special Narcotics Force continue to cause disruption to the narcotics trade at a regional level. Working Groups, co-chaired by the Ministry of Justice and international donors, are making progress on law reform, institutional capacity and physical infrastructure, legal education and professional training, legal aid and access to justice, land reform, prisons and juvenile justice. Work continues on criminal and civil procedures, a new penal code, and family, company and anti-terrorism laws. Technical support to justice institutions has been revitalised with the UN Development Programme's "Strengthening the Justice System of Afghanistan" commencing in February 2006.
	Since the launch of the Afghanistan Compact in January 2006, work has continued on long-term reconstruction and development projects throughout Afghanistan. For example, sanitation and waste management programmes in Kabul and provincial cities are in progress. The Afghan Government's National Solidarity programme, supporting small-scale reconstruction and development activities, has now reached over 8.5 million Afghans with more than 4,500 projects completed (88 per cent. of these community projects involve infrastructure such as irrigation, rural roads, electrification and drinking water supply). The Afghanistan Compact sets out clear benchmarks on development issues against which the Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board will measure progress.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance her Department has given to the Afghan Government for  (a) legislative reform of the public and private sector,  (b) building the capacity of judicial institutions and personnel,  (c) promoting human rights and legal awareness and  (d) rehabilitating judicial infrastructure; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Together with the World Bank, consultants funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) have worked closely with the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission drafting a new civil service law, which was adopted in late 2005. DFID funded consultants have worked closely with the Ministry of Commerce, and US colleagues on the development of a range of legislation aimed at promoting development of the private sector.
	Working with Italy, the partner nation for Reform of the Justice Sector in Afghanistan, and other international partners, the UK is helping Afghanistan establish a functional, accessible, equitable and sustainable justice system. In 2004, DFID made a contribution of £0.5 million to the United Nations Development programme (UNDP) project 'Rebuilding the Justice Sector in Afghanistan'; £0.2 million of this has been rolled over to finance the new UNDP 'Strengthening Justice Sector in Afghanistan Project'. Funds from the joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)/DFID/Ministry of Defence Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) have provided a further £0.5 million to this project, which includes promotion of human rights, strengthening justice sector institutions, rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure and training and capacity building of justice sector personnel. The GCPP also recently provided $1 million to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission towards their overall core costs for financial year 2006-07.
	The FCO's Global Opportunities Fund (GOF) continues to support the promotion of human rights in Afghanistan. Over the past three financial years GOF has provided £240,000 to the Bar Human Rights Committee to deliver human rights legal training; contributed £150,000 to the Women Empowerment Project, implemented by Womankind, focused on promoting women's equal participation in national/provincial government and building gender equality in Afghanistan; and committed £339,000 to the Action Aid projects, Afghan Women Affecting Change and Women's Participation in Governance, aimed at supporting domestic women's rights organisations and women's involvement in local government respectively.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the adequacy of resources in place to achieve a sustained and significant reduction in the production and trafficking of narcotics in Helmand province; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assistance her Department has given to the Afghan Government to implement programmes to achieve a sustained annual reduction in the amount of land under poppy and other drug cultivation.

Margaret Beckett: The UK is spending £270 million over three years in support of the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy—including, from 2006, some £25-30 million per annum in Helmand province. Of the total £270 million, approximately 50 per cent. will be channelled into efforts to strengthen and diversify legal rural livelihoods, and much of the remainder devoted to building capacity within the Afghan counter narcotics law enforcement and criminal justice agencies responsible for bringing traffickers to justice. However, UK resources will not, on their own, be sufficient to bring about a sustained reduction in the amount of land under poppy cultivation. As a partner nation for counter narcotics, the UK is therefore working hard to ensure that international assistance is targeted in line with the priorities set out in the National Drug Control Strategy. We have supported the establishment of a Counter Narcotics Trust Fund, to which a number of partners including the US and the EC are now contributing, for this purpose.
	Progress is being made: last year saw the conviction of over 150 drug traffickers, and a 21 per cent. reduction in the cultivation of opium poppy. However, sustainable drug elimination strategies take time, particularly when the challenges are as severe as they are in Afghanistan. After last year's decline, this year's cultivation figures are unlikely to decrease further as consolidated progress in areas where governance, security and access to livelihoods have improved is still being outpaced by increased planting in the more lawless south, including Helmand province. Our deployment to Helmand is part of the broader international support for the reconstruction effort, which is vital to the success of the Government of Afghanistan's counter narcotics campaign and to the sustained reduction in the cultivation, production and trafficking of opium poppy.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her assessment is of links between the Taliban and drug smugglers in Helmand province in Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Taliban and drug traffickers flourish in the same ungoverned space and they have a confluence of interest in ensuring that central Government is unable to extend its authority to their areas of operation. There is growing evidence of links. At the tactical level, there are some ad hoc links between the Taliban and traffickers where their specific interests coincide. Recently, there has been evidence that the Taliban are encouraging Afghan farmers to grow opium poppy and in the south, including Helmand, the Taliban have encouraged farmers to resist Government eradication efforts. It is unclear how much the Taliban use drug money to facilitate their operations. There are some signs of contacts at the strategic level. We continue to assess the links closely, particularly as the UK presence in the south consolidates. We support Afghan efforts to disrupt any linkages.

Afghanistan

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to ensure that the Afghan National Police Force is paid  (a) adequately and  (b) on time.

Kim Howells: One of the key components in the reform of the Afghan National Police is a pay and rank review, which is currently under way. When this is completed it will ensure that the police are paid adequately and on time.

Afghanistan

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what international research she has examined on the conversion of Afghan poppy production into bio-fuels; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: There has been no examination of international research into the conversion of Afghan poppy production into bio-fuels by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary. However, in 2001, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office commissioned an independent study into licit cultivation of opium poppy for pharmaceutical use in India and Turkey. The report concluded that diversion from licit cultivation can only be successful if national authorities have the resources and capacity to put control mechanisms in place to ensure they are the sole purchaser of opiates.
	The Government of Afghanistan and Parliament have ruled out licit opium cultivation. The Afghan Minister for Counter Narcotics, Habibullah Qaderi, has said,
	"The poor security situation in the country means there can simply be no guarantee that opium will not be smuggled out of the country for the illicit narcotics trade abroad. Without an effective control mechanism, a lot of opium will still be refined into heroin for illicit markets in the West and elsewhere. We could not accept this".

Sudan

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in establishing a UN peacekeeping force for Darfur.

Ian McCartney: The UN Security Council and the African Union are agreed that a UN force should replace the AU troops currently in Darfur. A joint AU/UN planning mission has just returned from Darfur. The UN Secretary-General will report shortly to the Security Council. The Government of Sudan have, however, not yet agreed to a UN force. We will continue to press them to do so.

Sudan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to her counterparts in  (a) Khartoum and  (b) N'Djamena regarding the recent violence on the Chad-Sudan border; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We are aware that Chadian rebels and Darfur militia continue to mount cross-border attacks into Eastern Chad from Darfur, which has led to the displacement of 50,000 Chadians. We are also aware of reports of Darfur rebels continuing to be supported by Chad. We are pressing the Government of Sudan to neutralise and disarm the Janjaweed and expel foreign fighters from Darfur as soon as possible, as required under the Darfur Peace Agreement. We are also urging both Governments to fulfil their obligations under the Tripoli Agreement. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development raised this most recently with the Sudanese Deputy Foreign Minister. Our non-resident ambassador to Chad raised this with their Foreign Minister during his last visit to N'Djamena.

Algeria

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Algeria on the use of torture.

Kim Howells: holding answer 26 June 2006
	We discuss human rights issues with the Government of Algeria regularly. I did so during my visit to Algiers on 7-8 June. We have not entered into, and are not negotiating, a Memorandum of Understanding on the use of torture.
	The Government unreservedly condemn the use of torture as a matter of fundamental principle and works hard with its international partners to eradicate this abhorrent practice. The UK abides by its commitments under international law, including the UN convention against torture and the European convention on human rights, and it expects all other countries to comply with their international obligations. We are active in pressing them to deliver on their human rights commitments.
	As far as the deportation of individuals who present a threat to our national security is concerned, we act consistently with our human rights obligations, taking into account the provisions of the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, its accompanying policy on clemency and the particular circumstances of each case.

Basson/Project Cost Handling Strategy

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1274W, on the Basson/Project Cost handling strategy, how many officials there were from each Government Department; and what the job title was of each one.

Kim Howells: holding answer 21 June 2006
	I am unable to provide any more information than that provided in my answer to my hon. Friend on 14 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1274W.

Benyam Mohammed

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer given by her predecessor to Q36 of oral evidence taken before the Foreign Affairs Committee on 13 December 2005, what form the misinformation referred to about the case of Benyam Mohammed (al-Habashi) took.

Kim Howells: Serious allegations have been made concerning mistreatment of Mr. Al Habashi. As the former Foreign Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) made clear, Mr. Al Habashi was interviewed once by a member of the UK Security Service while he was in detention in Karachi in 2002. The Security Service had no role in his capture or in his transfer from Pakistan. The Intelligence and Security Committee report "Handling of Detainees by UK Intelligence Personnel in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and Iraq" of March 2005 gave details of the guidance under which such interviews were conducted, and the service officer did not observe any abuse and no instances of abuse were reported to him by Mr. Al Habashi.
	The Government, including the intelligence and security agencies, never uses torture for any purpose, including to obtain information. Nor does the Government or its Security and Intelligence Services ever instigate, condone or otherwise support others in the use of torture for any purpose.

British Passports

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British passports have been issued by her Department overseas in each of the last five years, broken down by country; and in how many cases the recipient was issued with a passport for the first time in each case.

Kim Howells: The number of British passports that have been issued overseas in each of the last five years is shown as follows. The table also provides a breakdown by issuing country. Data are not available for financial year (FY) 2001-02 as we did not begin to keep records until FY 2002-03. The figures for FY 2005-06 are derived from a source different from that of the previous years and will be adjusted in due course and when global figures are available from the consular annual returns from overseas posts. We are unable to tell in how many cases the recipient was issued with a passport for the first time, as our records do not provide data on the number of first time applicants for passports.
	The total number of British passports issued overseas rounded to the nearest thousand is:
	
		
			  FY  Number 
			 2002-03 450,000 
			 2003-04 447,000 
			 2004-05 453,000 
			 2005-06 438,000 
		
	
	A breakdown of figures on passport issues by issuing country:
	
		
			   Passport issues 
			  Country  FY 2002-03  FY 2003-04  FY 2004-05  FY 2005-06 
			 Algeria 63 — — — 
			 Angola 103 — — 26 
			 Argentina 649 712 1,066 902 
			 Australia 53,011 44,138 61,549 66,162 
			 Austria 941 1,074 1,362 1,644 
			 Azerbaijan 126 219 287 334 
			 Bahrain 1,073 999 972 1,233 
			 Bangladesh 790 905 806 1,187 
			 Barbados 2,267 2,614 3,372 2,495 
			 Belarus 7 — — — 
			 Belgium 3,612 4,324 4,430 4,181 
			 Belize 130 — — — 
			 Bolivia 267 170 204 168 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 54 — — — 
			 Botswana 576 516 455 442 
			 Brazil 932 1,021 1,228 1,229 
			 Brunei 674 681 576 633 
			 Burma 46 — — — 
			 Canada 24,268 27,728 23,263 28,160 
			 Chile 460 498 558 581 
			 China 118,348 109,537 81,386 62,068 
			 Colombia 323 319 432 353 
			 Congo (Democratic Republic) 39 — — — 
			 Costa Rica 237 387 730 575 
			 Croatia 89 — — — 
			 Cuba 65 61 66 76 
			 Curacao 16 — — — 
			 Cyprus 6,070 5,033 6,382 6,219 
			 Czech Republic 554 647 668 860 
			 Denmark 1,721 1,745 1,932 2,084 
			 Dominican Republic 60 61 164 167 
			 Ecuador 212 261 274 222 
			 Egypt 1,098 1,741 1,399 1,287 
			 El Salvador 39 — — — 
			 Estonia 61 70 77 93 
			 Ethiopia 115 126 148 149 
			 Fiji 270 — 118 — 
			 Finland 357 449 434 509 
			 France 14,455 18,598 20,624 22,417 
			 Gambia 76 156 196 175 
			 Germany 16,197 15,387 18,145 16,383 
			 Ghana 519 507 698 639 
			 Greece 2,423 2,388 2,691 2,724 
			 Guatemala 188 — — — 
			 Guyana 292 — 170 199 
			 Honduras 95 — — — 
			 Hungary 533 — 463 573 
			 Iceland 102 88 90 96 
			 India 3,014 2,400 3,073 2,921 
			 Indonesia 1,034 1,040 1,200 1,181 
			 Iran 310 230 298 336 
			 Ireland 9,582 10,024 10,893 10,813 
			 Israel 3,357 3,062 5,784 5,537 
			 Italy 4,029 4,302 4,994 5,313 
			 Ivory Coast 117 — — — 
			 Jamaica 2,451 2,531 2,375 2,487 
			 Japan 1,959 2,176 2,652 2,506 
			 Jerusalem 1,299 978 — — 
			 Jordan 581 749 826 740 
			 Kazakhstan 77 — — — 
			 Kenya 2,273 2,853 4,050 2,361 
			 Kuwait 685 543 792 800 
			 Latvia 37 — — — 
			 Lebanon 585 519 622 692 
			 Lesotho 77 — — — 
			 Libya — 303 364 419 
			 Lithuania 29 — — — 
			 Luxembourg 722 787 — — 
			 Macedonia 95 — — — 
			 Malawi 569 785 920 676 
			 Malaysia 0 1,482 1,818 1,732 
			 Malta 923 936 842 904 
			 Mauritius 662 486 833 659 
			 Mexico 385 615 1,264 1,193 
			 Mongolia 47 26 28 33 
			 Morocco 241 186 277 241 
			 Mozambique 144 — — — 
			 Namibia 177 172 144 167 
			 Nepal 566 162 156 199 
			 Netherlands 6,511 6,274 5,919 6,021 
			 New Zealand 17,495 18,341 21,590 22,604 
			 Nicaragua 41 — — — 
			 Nigeria 1,589 1,259 1,881 1,661 
			 Norway 1,684 1,625 1,925 2,069 
			 Oman 776 801 762 780 
			 Pakistan 4,269 3,932 4,726 5,681 
			 Panama 102 — — — 
			 Papua New Guinea 94 — — — 
			 Paraguay 33 — — — 
			 Peru 380 443 597 411 
			 Philippines 1,295 1,300 1,925 1,221 
			 Poland 429 590 566 656 
			 Portugal 1,805 1,985 2,293 2,144 
			 Qatar 701 708 873 972 
			 Romania 167 225 220 192 
			 Russia 479 510 656 783 
			 Saudi Arabia 3,268 2,635 2,482 2,185 
			 Senegal 22 — — — 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 100 115 184 223 
			 Seychelles 291 147 171 129 
			 Sierra Leone 98 116 292 300 
			 Singapore 3,867 4,429 5,149 4,501 
			 Slovakia 74 — — — 
			 Slovenia 33 — — — 
			 Solomon Islands 17 — — — 
			 South Africa 22,781 22,875 17,464 21,750 
			 South Korea 316 263 356 422 
			 Spain 22,772 18,915 19,500 20,645 
			 Sri Lanka 383 372 484 521 
			 Sudan 127 — — — 
			 Swaziland 227 — — — 
			 Sweden 1,366 1,583 1,867 1,939 
			 Switzerland — 6,882 7,224 6,100 
			 Syria 231 223 221 215 
			 Tanzania 408 662 665 482 
			 Thailand 3,469 3,265 4,559 5,081 
			 The Bahamas 413 — — — 
			 Tonga 19 — — — 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 742 1,109 1,345 1,022 
			 Tunisia 136 70 146 188 
			 Turkey 1,289 537 1,255 1,564 
			 Turkmenistan 2 — — — 
			 Uganda 280 260 365 343 
			 Ukraine 60 61 107 131 
			 United Arab Emirates 3,719 5,155 6,153 6,810 
			 Uruguay 69 — — — 
			 USA 49,649 55,034 52,746 45,178 
			 Vanuatu 27 — — — 
			 Venezuela 1,069 519 715 565 
			 Vietnam 339 344 403 441 
			 Yemen 272 179 191 396 
			 Zambia 620 752 791 649 
			 Zimbabwe 2,862 2,356 2,513 1,998 
			 Total 449,897 447,358 452,901 438,128

Bulgaria

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will visit Bulgaria to ascertain whether it is ready to join the EU on 1 January 2007.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no plans to visit Bulgaria. So far this year, the former Europe Minister my right hon. Friend the Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire, South (Mr. Alexander), my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East and the former Home Secretary my right hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Clarke) have visited Bulgaria to assess EU accession preparations. I plan to visit later this year.

Burma

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the value of frozen assets held under the EU Common Position on Burma was in  (a) the UK and  (b) all European Union member states.

Margaret Beckett: The current reported value of assets frozen by UK authorities on the basis that assets are covered by the EU restrictive measures in place in relation to Burma amounts to £3,576.65.
	We do not hold figures for assets frozen by other EU member states.

Burma

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people on the visa ban list under the EU Common Position on Burma have been  (a) refused and  (b) granted entry to Europe.

Margaret Beckett: The United Kingdom does not keep national records of the number of cases involving application of the travel ban by EU member states.

Chad

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of reports of Janjaweed militias committing atrocities against civilians and refugees in Eastern Chad.

Margaret Beckett: There are indications that some militia groups are now operating in the border area inside Eastern Chad, while others continue to mount attacks from inside Darfur. We are concerned for the safety and security of the estimated 50,000 Chadians displaced as a result of attacks and violence in the east of the country, and for the 200,000 refugees from Darfur now sheltering in camps in Eastern Chad. The UK provided £5 million to the response in Chad last year and is providing an additional £4 million this year. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

Chad

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the security situation in eastern Chad; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We are aware that Chadian rebels and Darfur militia continue to mount cross-border attacks into Eastern Chad from Darfur, which has led to the displacement of 50,000 Chadians. We are concerned by the continuing unrest in Eastern Chad and for the safety and security of both displaced Chadians, and the 200,000 Darfur refugees in camps there. We are also concerned about reports of forced recruitment of young men and teenagers from the refugee camps in Eastern Chad by Darfur rebels.
	We continue to call on all sides to show restraint and on the Governments of Chad and Sudan to resolve their differences, fulfil their obligations under the Tripoli Agreement and restore calm to the region without the use of violence.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will reply to the letter to her predecessor dated 18 April 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mrs. Ahmed.

Margaret Beckett: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 17 May 2006.

Counter-narcotics Training

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what counter-narcotics training her Department has facilitated for law enforcement agencies in  (a) Afghanistan,  (b) Jamaica,  (c) Turkey,  (d) Iran,  (e) Pakistan and  (f) the Balkans in the last five years.

Margaret Beckett: Since 2001, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded counter-narcotics (CN) training as follows:
	
		
			   Funding (£) 
			 Jamaica 1,620,000 
			 Turkey 1,406,000 
			 Iran 1,376,000 
			 Pakistan 435,000 
			 Balkans 1,675,000 
		
	
	Afghanistan has been a high priority country for CN assistance since 2002. The UK law enforcement and criminal justice budget for 2006-07 is over £20 million. Within Afghanistan, the UK, as key partner nation, has helped to establish the counter narcotics police of Afghanistan (CNPA)—the lead national drugs law enforcement agency, with its headquarters in Kabul and seven provincial offices—through training, mentoring and equipping the force. The UK also co-ordinates the mentoring of senior officers within the CNPA and has contributed £1.5 million to the Afghan Law and Order Trust Fund which supports salaries and purchases of equipment for the CNPA. Additionally, the UK has assisted the establishment of a Counter Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force, and is providing mentoring on prosecution and investigation. The UK is also helping to strengthen the borders of Afghanistan through contributions to border management assistance in Tajikistan, Iran and Pakistan.
	In Jamaica, the main focus of our training has been to ensure that Jamaican law enforcement agencies become more effective crime fighting forces and in particular are able to dismantle organised drug syndicates, by enhancing their investigation techniques and ability to gather intelligence and evidence. Training has also been provided to the coastguard on interdiction techniques and to deter illegal drug trafficking into and out of Jamaica, as well as customs training at airports.
	In Turkey, CN training is delivered through the UK/Turkey Prime Ministers' Action Plan, agreed at the UK/Turkey summit in May 2004. Our CN training assistance to Turkey concentrates on intelligence capability with a view to facilitating joint operational work with UK law enforcement to tackle trafficking in drugs.
	In Iran, the UK supports operational engagement to tackle drug traffickers, providing technical advice to Iranian law enforcement agencies, in particular the anti narcotics police, on how Iran can further improve its performance on supply reduction. We are also helping to strengthen border management capability, and improve drug detection work, mainly through contributing to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Iran CN programme.
	In Pakistan, the UK is helping to improve Pakistan's CN capacity through law enforcement intelligence and interdiction capability training for the Anti Narcotics Force (the UK's key CN partner), including capacity building at sea and airports. We also assist judicial CN training to help to improve the criminal justice processes to bring drug traffickers to justice.
	In the Balkans, our aim is to help law enforcement agencies to be better equipped to fight drug traffickers and other organised crime groups at an international level through strengthened border controls, intelligence capability and drug detection training and equipment.

Departmental Finance Directors

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of her Department.

Geoff Hoon: The finance director of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is D. R. Todd. He has a BA in Modern History. He was appointed in 2004, after a Whitehall competition, by a selection board including the then Government chief accountant. The Department is in the process of recruiting a qualified professional to succeed Mr. Todd by December 2006, in line with HM Treasury cross-Whitehall recommendations.

EU Air/Sea Patrols

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the status is of EU air and sea patrols deployed in the territorial waters of Mauritania, Senegal and Cape Verde; what the cost of such operations are to the EU; and from what budget they are being funded.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 26 June 2006
	There are currently no EU air or sea patrols deployed around Mauritania, Senegal and Cape Verde, although the Spanish authorities have been engaged in bilateral co-operation with Mauritanian authorities using EU funding. Action is being planned to counter the illegal migration route through the territorial waters off West Africa at four levels:
	external Relations Commissioner Ferrero Waldner has made a commitment of €2 million for a Rapid Reaction Mechanism, which would include air and naval patrols, although not all this funding will be channelled to action around Mauritania, Senegal and Cape Verde;
	Frontex (the EU border agency) has allocated an initial indicative €1.3 million to step up patrols as well as other interdiction activities;
	the European Development Fund is also being used bilaterally, for instance in Mauritania, to work on strengthening border security mechanisms and to combat illegal migration;
	finally as an interim measure some EU member states are making available hardware, manpower and surveillance capability to step up patrols of the affected areas.

European Union (Transparency)

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will bring forward proposals to increase transparency of decision making in the Council of the European Union.

Geoff Hoon: "An Overall Policy on Transparency" was agreed at the June European Council. Before considering any further proposals on increasing transparency in the Council of Ministers, the Government will want to see how the Finnish presidency implements the policy in practice, and then take full account of the six month review agreed at the European Council.

Falkland Islands

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had with  (a) other Departments and  (b) the Prime Minister's office on the exploration for oil and gas in Falkland Islands waters.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have had discussions on the exploration for oil and gas in Falkland Islands waters with the Department of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Defence, the Department for International Development and the Cabinet Office. The most recent meeting was held on 13 June.

Foreign Affairs Committee

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Foreign Affairs Committee recommendations the Department has  (a) accepted and  (b) implemented since 2001-02; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold this data in the form sought by the hon. Member and to collate it would incur disproportionate costs. The Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) produced 59 reports during the period in question. The FCO replies to each FAC report in the form of a Command Paper, in which each of the Committee's recommendations receives a response.

Guantanamo Bay

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her Department's policy is on Guantanamo Bay; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We have long made it clear that we regard the circumstances under which detainees continue to be held at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay as unacceptable. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, it should be closed.

Guantanamo Bay

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the European Union has agreed to take to encourage the United States Administration to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

Geoff Hoon: The EU has made clear its views about the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, including in May when Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, speaking on behalf of the EU, said
	"The US government must take the measures to close the camp as soon as possible".
	The United States Government are well aware of the EU's concerns. After the EU-US summit in Vienna on 21 June, President Bush acknowledged these concerns and reaffirmed his wish to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

Human Rights

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has received from  (a) the Council of Europe and  (b) others recommending the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate possible human rights violations that transcend national borders.

Margaret Beckett: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe report, published on 7 June, recognised that
	"The United Kingdom Parliament has not yet established a formal inquiry into possible British participation in abuses committed by the United States in the course of the 'war on terror', but there have been several noteworthy parliamentary initiatives designed to broaden the public debate and encourage greater openness".
	The Amnesty International report 'Partners in Crime: Europe's role in US renditions', published on 15 June, recommended to all Council of Europe member states that they
	"Initiate, if implicated in a case of rendition, an independent and impartial inquiry into the practice of rendition".
	My right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) the then Foreign Secretary set out in his written ministerial statement of 20 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 37-38WS the results of the extensive review of official records back to May 1997.

Iraq

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions her Department has had with US counterparts on the recent US Department of Defense investigation into labour trafficking in Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not discussed recent US investigations into people trafficking in Iraq with US counterparts. I note the recommendations about labour trafficking in Iraq, laid out by the US Department of State in their annual report on trafficking in persons. We will raise this and other issues with the Iraqi and US Governments in the usual way.
	The Government regularly discuss all forms of human trafficking through the International Labour Organisation, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe. The UK is also a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its optional "Palermo Protocol", specifically concerning human trafficking.

Iraq

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the coalition in Iraq is taking  (a) to ensure Iraqi investigation of abuse allegations and  (b) to promote public reporting of the investigations; and what the UK's role is in this process.

Margaret Beckett: The Government take allegations of abuse extremely seriously and raise such allegations with the Iraqi Government at the highest level. We press the Government to investigate fully any allegations and welcome their commitment to make the findings of investigations public.
	A joint inspection team comprised of Iraqi and Multi-National Force-Iraq officials has been established, the task of which is to make unannounced inspections at detention facilities and report its findings to the Iraqi authorities.
	The Government shall continue to make clear to the Iraqi authorities that all allegations of abuse must be investigated, the abuse ended and those responsible punished. We will continue a close dialogue on this with the newly formed Iraqi Government.

Iraq

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of  (a) reports of detainee abuse and  (b) extrajudicial police actions in Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Government are aware of such allegations and have raised them with the Iraqi Government at the highest level. We have pressed the Iraqi authorities to investigate allegations fully and make findings public. The Iraqi Government have established judicial investigations into allegations made.
	The Government are committed with international partners to provide long-term support to Iraq's rule of law institutions, building their capacity to ensure respect for international human rights norms. The Government's work with the Iraqi police, for example, includes the provision of professional training, including in human rights, and a mentoring scheme that helps implement this training.

Iraq

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the role of the UK representative is on the Joint Committee to Transfer Security Responsibility in Iraq.

Margaret Beckett: The UK representative on the Joint Committee to Transfer Security Responsibility represents the views of the Government in working with the Iraqis and coalition partners to oversee the process of transferring lead responsibility for security in each Iraqi province from coalition forces to the Iraqi authorities.

Iraq

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria were developed to guide the transfer of security responsibility in Iraq as agreed by the Joint Committee to Transfer Security Responsibility.

Margaret Beckett: The criteria set out by the Joint Committee to Transfer Security Responsibility are based on four categories:
	Assessment of the threat level—including the terrorist/insurgent threat, the cross-border threat and the threat to infrastructure.
	Assessment of Iraqi Security Forces' ability to take on the security task—including an assessment of their capacity to maintain the security situation, their ability to conduct counter-insurgency operations and their ability to co-ordinate the security of strategic infrastructure.
	Assessment of the capacity of provincial bodies to govern effectively—including an assessment of the capability of the Governor to oversee security operations, Provincial Security Committee to co-ordinate and monitor operations, the intelligence structure to support the police, and the legal operation of detention systems.
	Assessment of the posture and support available from coalition forces—including their ability to reinforce the Iraqi armed forces if required and assist in co-ordinating civil construction activities.

Israel

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1806W, on Israel, if she will make strong representations to the Israeli Government concerning its failure to provide a reply in relation to the treatment of the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton within the two weeks stipulated.

Margaret Beckett: My Department has been in regular contact with the Israeli embassy on this issue. I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 13 June 2006.

Mr. Kent Taylor

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if she will approach the Qatari authorities formally about Mr. Kent Taylor, who has been unable to leave Qatar since 2001;
	(2)  when she last raised the case of Mr. Kent Taylor with the Qatari authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have concerns about the length of time it is taking to resolve this case. Although my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no plans to approach the Qatari authorities about this issue, our ambassador in Doha has raised these concerns with the Qatari authorities, most recently with the Qatari Foreign Minister on 19 June.

NORTHERN IRELAND

A5

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Roads Service has spent on improving the A5 between Derry and Aughnacloy in each of the last five years; how much is planned to be spent in each of the next three years; and what joint plans the Roads Service and the Department for Transport in the Republic of Ireland have to upgrade the A5/N2 Derry to Dublin road.

David Cairns: The acting chief executive of Roads Service (Mr. Geoff Allister) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	 Letter from Mr. Geoff Allister, dated 27 June 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about how much the Roads Service has spent on improving the A5 between Derry and Aughnacloy in each of the last five years; how much is planned to be spent in each of the next three years; and what joint plans the Roads Service and the Department for Transport in the Republic of Ireland have to upgrade the A5/N2 Derry to Dublin road.
	I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	The table below details Roads Service's expenditure on improving the A5 between Derry and Aughnacloy for the five-year period 2001/02 to 2005/06. I should advise that these figures include capital works and the cost of resurfacing works on this particular route.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£000) 
			 2001-02 5,642 
			 2002-03 7,509 
			 2003-04 3,738 
			 2004-05 3,892 
			 2005-06 5,917 
		
	
	With regard to planned expenditure on this route over the next 3 years, I can advise that it is expected that work will commence on the A5 between Ballygawley and Tullyvar (north of Aughnacloy) and Stage 3 of Strabane Bypass. We would also hope to spend over £4m on the A5 on a mix of overtaking lanes and resurfacing schemes. At this stage it is not possible to predict future spend on a year by year basis, as this will depend on the availability of funding during any given year. In addition, the Tullyvar scheme is being improved and upgraded under the Roads Service's Public Private Partnership 2 Project and being delivered using a Design Build Finance and Operate contract.
	You also asked about any joint plans Roads Service and the Department for Transport in the Republic of Ireland have to upgrade the A5/N2 Derry to Dublin road. I should first of all advise that Roads Service has good working relations with both the National Roads Authority (NRA) and the Department for Transport in the Republic of Ireland, through the Cross Border Roads Steering Group meetings that are co-chaired by both Chief Executives. Through meetings of this group, information on the programmes of development of the cross border routes in both jurisdictions is shared and compatible strategies for improvement are agreed.
	Roads Service's and the NRA's plans for major works at present include proposals to upgrade the existing single carriageway sections of the A5/N2 route between Derry and Ardee, through the construction of widened carriageway to "2 + 1" layouts and thus provide guaranteed overtaking opportunities and improve safety on the route. The relatively low traffic flows on the route do not merit the levels of investment needed to upgrade the route to dual carriageway standard when considered in the context of the need to also upgrade other key routes within the current budget levels.

Caravans

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new caravan parks have been opened in Northern Ireland in the last three year period, broken down by local authority area; and what estimate he has made of the contribution to local economies from caravaners.

David Cairns: Table A shows the number of caravan parks by council area that have been granted planning approval in the last three years. Unfortunately, the Planning Service is unable to provide information on the number of caravan parks opened in Northern Ireland as details are not held on the number of approvals that have subsequently been implemented.
	
		
			  Table A: Number of caravan parks granted planning approval between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2006 
			  District council area  Number 
			 Antrim 1 
			 Ards 3 
			 Banbridge 1 
			 Coleraine 2 
			 Down 4 
			 Fermanagh 3 
			 Moyle 2 
			 Newry and Mourne 2 
			 Total 18 
		
	
	In 2005 an estimated £3.6 million was generated from out-of-state visitors (i.e. visitors from overseas and ROI but excluding domestic) to Northern Ireland choosing to stay in the caravan and camping sector. In 2004 domestic holidaymakers spent £11.3 million during holidays staying in static caravans, and £1.3 million during holidays in touring caravans (these data are currently unavailable for 2005). Annual breakdowns are provided in Tables B and C as follows.
	
		
			  Table B: Estimated spend for out-of-state visitors staying in caravans/camping 
			   Spend (£ million) 
			 2005 3.6 
			 2004 3.3 
			 2003 3.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: Estimated spend for domestic holidaymakers staying in towed and static caravans 
			  Spend (£ million) 
			   Towed caravans  Static caravans (owned and not owned) 
			 2005 n/a n/a 
			 2004 1.3 11.3 
			 2003 3.2 13.0 
			 n/a = not available.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total amount paid to victims of crime in Northern Ireland by way of criminal injuries compensation was in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: The Compensation Agency has operational responsibility for the administration of two statutory criminal injury compensation schemes: The Criminal Injuries (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 (the 1988 order scheme) and the Criminal Injuries Compensation (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 (the tariff scheme).
	The following table shows the overall total amount of criminal injuries compensation paid in the last five years broken down by scheme.
	
		
			  £ 
			   1988 Order  2002 Order (Tariff)  Total 
			 2001-02 50,469,842.36 0.00 50,469,842.36 
			 2002-03 52,113,863.08 75,000.00 52,188,863.08 
			 2003-04 46,625,939.74 3,277,783.99 49,903,723.73 
			 2004-05 33,123,066.77 8,281,290.66 41,404,357.43 
			 2005-06 23,773,880.57 15,207,312.92 38,981,193.49 
			 Totals 206,106,592.52 26,841,387.57 232,947,980.09

Dental Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's preferred ratio is of dentists per head of population in Northern Ireland; and what the ratio was in the last period for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: There is no target ratio for dentists per head of population. The aim is to ensure an adequate level of dental provision both in terms of availability and accessibility. In Northern Ireland at November 2004 there were 43 general dental practitioners per 100,000 population. This compares to 37 general dental practitioners per 100,000 population in England, Scotland and Wales. Population figures for 2005 are not yet available.
	I am satisfied with the current level of dental provision both in terms of availability and accessibility. Nevertheless, I fully recognise that the General Dental Service, through which the vast majority of our primary dental care is delivered, is in need of reorganisation in order to continue to provide a quality service to patients, address the oral health needs of the population and provide a rewarding career for dental professionals.
	In order to achieve this, a new 10-year primary dental care strategy will be published shortly.

Departmental Expenditure

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) laptops and  (b) mobile phones have been bought by each Department under his authority in each of the last eight years; and what the cost was of each category of equipment in each year.

David Hanson: Due to the detailed nature of the question the answer is laid out in tabular form. Note that some Departments do not have complete records of laptops purchased over the period in question. A similar situation affects the records of mobile phones purchased, and for some Departments the cost of mobile handsets was subsumed in the cost of service contracts.
	
		
			  OFMDFM 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 (1)— — 1 (2)— 
			 1999-2000 55 94,479 9 (2)— 
			 2000-01 102 173,665 13 (2)— 
			 2001-02 156 260,017 19 (2)— 
			 2002-03 171 283,208 17 (2)— 
			 2003-04 35 46,366 25 (2)— 
			 2004-05 57 74,991 67 (2)— 
			 2005-06 31 36,992 51 (2)— 
		
	
	
		
			  DARD 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 8 14,165 (3)— — 
			 1999-2000 82 84,794 (3)— — 
			 2000-01 81 112,750 (3)— — 
			 2001-02 79 101,664 (3)— — 
			 2002-03 77 103,614 6 621 
			 2003-04 175 222,708 69 11,253 
			 2004-05 137 177,342 107 8,419 
			 2005-06 124 150,726 169 10,612 
		
	
	
		
			  DCAL 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 (4)— — (4)— — 
			 1999-2000 (1)— — (1)— — 
			 2000-01 (1)— — 2 55 
			 2001-02 3 4,211 4 203 
			 2002-03 2 2,448 1 190 
			 2003-04 3 3,373 12 911 
			 2004-05 1 855 1 95 
			 2005-06 5 4,310 4 484 
		
	
	
		
			  DE 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 15 22,949 (1)— — 
			 1999-2000 35 48,538 (1)— — 
			 2000-01 20 33,455 (1)— — 
			 2001-02 25 37,110 (1)— — 
			 2002-03 31 46,548 (1)— — 
			 2003-04 54 66,534 (1)— — 
			 2004-05 31 39,434 (1)— — 
			 2005-06 16 17,054 56 2,688 
		
	
	
		
			  DEL 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 20 24,025 (1)— — 
			 1999-2000 51 70,980 (1)— — 
			 2000-01 48 63,159 (1)— — 
			 2001-02 39 39,269 (1)— — 
			 2002-03 11 17,555 135 (5)— 
			 2003-04 0 0 129 12,880 
			 2004-05 11 6,041 136 23,114 
			 2005-06 0 0 142 19,092 
		
	
	
		
			  DETI 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 47 64,659 133 4,655 
			 1999-2000 22 29,650 151 5,285 
			 2000-01 60 80,610 44 1,540 
			 2001-02 136 186,740 68 2,380 
			 2002-03 67 85,746 84 2,940 
			 2003-04 45 41,639 96 3,360 
			 2004-05 109 81,045 105 3,675 
			 2005-06 61 36,308 30 1,050 
		
	
	
		
			  DOE 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 (1)— — 7 (2)— 
			 1999-2000 (1)— — 8 (2)— 
			 2000-01 (1)— — 2 (2)— 
			 2001-02 0 0 14 (2)— 
			 2002-03 8 11,887 7 (2)— 
			 2003-04 26 25,812 3 (2)— 
			 2004-05 94 83,030 2 (2)— 
			 2005-06 59 52,925 2 (2)— 
		
	
	
		
			  DFP 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 (1)— — (1)— — 
			 1999-2000 (1)— — (1)— — 
			 2000-01 (1)— — (1)— — 
			 2001-02 (1)— — (1)— — 
			 2002-03 (1)— — 16 1,400 
			 2003-04 203 262,000 18 3,118 
			 2004-05 134 138,000 31 3,884 
			 2005-06 155 128,000 50 4,097 
		
	
	
		
			  DHSSPS 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 (6)— — (1)— (2)— 
			 1999-2000 (6)— — (1)— (2)— 
			 2000-01 (6)— — (1)— (2)— 
			 2001-02 (6)— — (1)— (2)— 
			 2002-03 (6)— — 92 (2)— 
			 Pre-2004-05 110 99,500 115 (2)— 
			 2004-05 0 0 151 (2)— 
			 2005-06 72 65,000 147 (2)— 
		
	
	
		
			  DRD 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 (1)— — 0 (2)— 
			 1999-2000 (1)— — 11 (2)— 
			 2000-01 (1)— — 8 (2)— 
			 2001-02 6 6,603 12 (2)— 
			 2002-03 31 44,826 8 (2)— 
			 2003-04 73 88,357 4 (2)— 
			 2004-05 90 83,716 6 (2)— 
			 2005-06 28 20,531 4 (2)— 
		
	
	
		
			  DSD 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 (1)— — (1)— — 
			 1999-2000 0 0 (1)— — 
			 2000-01 0 0 (1)— — 
			 2001-02 0 0 (1)— — 
			 2002-03 0 0 66 (2)— 
			 2003-04 1 1,500 88 (2)— 
			 2004-05 10 11,000 111 (2)— 
			 2005-06 52 52,000 128 (2)— 
		
	
	
		
			  NIO 
			  Financial year  Number of laptops purchased  Cost (£)  Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost (£) 
			 1998-99 34 51,000 8 (2)— 
			 1999-2000 68 103,500 1 (2)— 
			 2000-01 35 54,150 3 (2)— 
			 2001-02 31 46,202 3 (2)— 
			 2002-03 55 80,500 7 (2)— 
			 2003-04 51 68,000 2 (2)— 
			 2004-05 38 58,955 5 (2)— 
			 2005-06 58 81,486 3 (2)— 
			 (1 )Records not available. (2 )No capital cost. (3) Prior to 2003 DARD did not purchase mobile phones. (4) DCAL not in existence. (5) Not known. (6) Records not available on an annual basis prior to 2004-05.

Fixed Penalties

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was generated by fixed penalty fines in Northern Ireland for each of the past three years.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Revenue generated by fixed penalty fines for each of the past three years is set out as follows.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 3,474,840 
			 2004-05 3,655,710 
			 2005-06 3,842,790

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place to ensure that people in Northern Ireland who require gastric bypass surgery receive the treatment they need.

Paul Goggins: Arrangements already exist to help patients with weight-loss management at the Royal Group of hospitals and to refer those who are deemed fit for surgery to centres outside Northern Ireland for treatment. Where a consultant believes that referral is appropriate, the relevant health and social services board will fund this on an Extra Contractual Referral (ECR) basis.

Graveyards (Vandalism)

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions there have been for vandalism of headstones at graveyards in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: Court statistics relating to offences against property do not include detail relating to the type of property involved, therefore, convictions for criminal damage of headstones at graveyards cannot be separately identified.

Health Trusts

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated additional cost is of establishing the proposed five new health trusts in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The establishment of the five new health and social care trusts, as with the other Review of Public Administration proposals, is intended to result in net savings. The resources released will be used to further improve the provision of front line services to the people of Northern Ireland. It is not possible at this stage to calculate precisely the level of net savings because detailed management arrangements have yet to be determined. At this initial stage, however, it is anticipated that the new Trusts will be expected to save in the order of £20 million per annum in administration costs. This will require a one off investment of approximately £40 million, consisting largely of early leaving payments.

Medical Students

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many medical students from outside the UK and Europe Economic Area in Northern Ireland will be affected by the introduction on 3 April 2006 of the ban on universities recruiting such students where UK/EEA students are available.

Paul Goggins: No medical students from outside the UK and European Economic Area will be affected by the new immigration rules that were introduced on 3 April 2006. There is no ban on universities recruiting overseas students.

Neighbourhood and Estate Code Polygons

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2006,  Official Report, column 798W, on the Valuation and Lands Agency, if he will place in the Library a copy of the technical documentation relating to the neighbourhood and estate code polygons.

David Hanson: Maps and schedules of estate codes are currently being prepared and will be placed in the Library at the earliest possible date.

Prisoners

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many mobile telephones were found in the possession of prisoners in each prison in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The number of mobile telephones found in the possession of prisoners in each prison in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland, is shown as follows:
	
		
			   Maghaberry  Magilligan  Hydebank Wood 
			 2002-03 1 0 1 
			 2003-04 1 0 0 
			 2004-05 1 14 0 
			 2005-06 28 9 1 
			 2006-07 (to date) 7 14 1 
			 Total 38 37 3 
		
	
	At present, prisoners found in possession of mobile telephones are subject to internal disciplinary procedures. It is the Government's intention to extend to Northern Ireland provisions in the Offender Management, Sentences and Procedures Bill that will make it a criminal offence to take a mobile telephone into or out of a prison establishment.

Sexual Offences

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals convicted of rape in the Province received a caution in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: Table 1 shows the number of rape offences (including attempts) cleared by means of charge/summons and by way of a caution for the years 1996-97 to 2005-06.
	Table 2 shows the number of persons prosecuted and convicted for rape (including attempts) from years 1994 to 2003, the latter being the most up-to-date available at present.
	The different collation methods upon which Table 1 and Table 2 are based should be borne in mind, the former being crime/victim-based while the latter is offender-based. It is not possible therefore to relate the two tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of offences of rape (including attempts) cleared by way of charge/summons and caution, 1996-97 to 2005-06 
			   Offences cleared by: 
			   Charge/summons  Caution( 1) 
			 1996-97 99 0 
			 1997-98 75 3 
			 1998-99 48 0 
			 1999-2000 71 2 
			 2000-01 42 1 
			 2001-02 53 1 
			 2002-03 46 0 
			 2003-04 82 0 
			 2004-05 67 1 
			 2005-06 64 3 
			 (1) For the years 1996-97 to 1999-2000, caution includes official adult caution and juvenile advice and warning.  Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSNI. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number prosecuted and convicted for rape (including attempts) 1994 to 2003 
			   Prosecuted  Convicted 
			 1994 45 15 
			 1995 78 24 
			 1996 69 15 
			 1997 61 21 
			 1998 48 18 
			 1999 36 8 
			 2000 26 10 
			 2001 34 17 
			 2002 30 10 
			 2003 31 10 
			  Source: Statistics and Research Branch, NIO.

Sexual Offences

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to improve the conviction rates for sexual assault and rape in the Province.

David Hanson: I shall shortly be consulting on a reform of sexual offences legislation and shall include a proposal to amend the law to give a statutory definition of 'capacity' in rape cases. This bears on the law on consent and can be an important aspect of a court's consideration of an allegation of rape. In addition the Public Prosecution Service has trained all its prosecutors in the use of 'special measure' provisions which are designed to assist victims and vulnerable or intimidated witnesses to give best evidence. Further training is planned in relation to sexual offence cases. The sexual violence strategy currently being developed for consultation will also make an important contribution to the effectiveness of the immediate support available from the health authorities and the police to victims of rape and sexual assault.

Sexual Offences

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions for sex offences there have been in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; what the average length of prison sentence received was in each year; and what the  (a) longest and  (b) shortest sentences given were in each year.

David Hanson: The following table provides the number convicted of sexual offences, the number sentenced to immediate custody, the average sentence length passed and the minimum and maximum sentence length given in each year.
	Data beyond 2003 are not yet available. Data are collated on the principal offence rule, thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	
		
			  Number of convictions for sexual offences, the number sentenced to immediate custody and average, minimum and maximum sentence length given in months 1999-2003 
			   Number convicted( 1)  Number sentenced to immediate custody( 2)  Average sentence length (months)  Minimum sentence length (months)  Maximum sentence length (months) 
			 1999 90 56 32.6 1.0 144.0 
			 2000 130 69 32.2 3.0 144.0 
			 2001 112 67 43.0 2.0 216.0 
			 2002 84 41 39.6 3.0 144.0 
			 2003 108 56 35.1 4.0 144.0 
			 (1) Figures include convictions for the offences of rape, attempted rape, buggery, gross indecency, unlawful carnal knowledge, indecent assault, indecent exposure, incest, distributing, taking, copying indecent photographs or pseudo photographs of children. (2) Offences for which offenders were given immediate custody include rape, attempted rape, buggery, gross indecency, unlawful carnal knowledge, indecent assault, indecent exposure, incest, distributing, taking indecent photographs or pseudo photographs of children.  Note: Figures include persons sentenced to prison, YOC and custody probation.

Sexual Offences

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing in Northern Ireland an assault, rape, counselling, health centre similar to ones in other parts of the UK.

Paul Goggins: A sexual violence strategy is currently being developed for Northern Ireland. In developing the strategy the option of establishing a sexual assault referral centre (SARC) for Northern Ireland is being explored.

Sexual Violence Strategy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the consultation on a regional sexual violence strategy is expected to be published.

Paul Goggins: The development of a regional strategy to address sexual violence in Northern Ireland is being taken forward jointly by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and the Northern Ireland Office, in conjunction with other Departments and agencies whose responsibilities also have a bearing on matters relating to sexual violence. It is proposed to publish a consultation document by the end of summer 2006. Implementation plans will be agreed with each Department and agency following the consultation process and prior to the strategy being finalised. The implementation plans will be published with the strategy.

Sexual Violence Strategy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the final regional sexual violence strategy to be completed.

Paul Goggins: The development of a regional strategy to address sexual violence in Northern Ireland is being taken forward jointly by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and the Northern Ireland Office, in conjunction with other Departments and agencies whose responsibilities also have a bearing on matters relating to sexual violence. It is proposed to publish the final strategy in April 2007.

Special Advisers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on overnight accommodation for special advisers in the Northern Ireland Office in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: The information requested by the hon. Member is not readily available for all of the five years. Prior to financial year 2005-06, payments in respect of special advisers in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) were not separated out from civil servants. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In 2005-06, the NIO restructured the ministerial expenditure codes in order to separately identify Ministers', ministerial support staff and special advisor costs.
	The amount spent on overnight accommodation for special advisers in the Northern Ireland Office in the financial year 2005-06 was £1,641.23.

Travellers

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Travellers camps there are in Northern Ireland; what the location is of each; and how many caravans can be accommodated at each camp.

David Hanson: Responsibility for the provision of Traveller sites rests with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive which currently operates five serviced sites as follows:
	
		
			  Site location  Number of pitches 
			 Ballinamullan, Omagh 6 
			 The Glen, Coalisland 16 
			 Ballyarnet, Londonderry 8 
			 Daisy field, Londonderry 6 
			 Glen Road Heights, Belfast 10 
		
	
	In addition a number of transit sites are being provided to cater for the needs of transient Traveller families. These will be situated in Strabane, Belfast, Londonderry, Craigavon and Newry and will provide, in total, approximately 40 pitches.

Waste Management/Recycling

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what controls are in place in Northern Ireland to monitor waste intended for recycling to ensure that it is not re-routed to a landfill site.

David Cairns: There are two specific sets of controls and a general duty of care which applies to waste producers, carriers and those who treat or dispose of waste. The controls in question are Transfrontier Shipment of Waste and licences/permits, which, once authorised, are also audited by the Department.
	Waste producers are subject to a general duty of care to ensure that their material reaches an appropriate authorised facility. They also monitor the contract conditions.
	The recycling of controlled waste arising in Northern Ireland is undertaken at facilities that are licensed by the Department. The permits for these approved facilities provide for the recording of the processing of material. District councils make quarterly returns on their recycled material.
	The Transfrontier Shipment of Wastes Regulations govern the movement of material from Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland by a system of prior authorisation using consignment notes. This system will approve the material, which is directed towards a suitable, authorised facility.

Waste Management/Recycling

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures his Department is taking to increase the percentage of domestic waste being recycled by councils in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: The Department has continued to build on the successful "Wake up to Waste" programme, launched in 2000, by supporting district councils on the design, promotion and delivery of local awareness campaigns. The Northern Ireland Landfill Allowances Scheme, introduced on 1 April 2005, sets annual allowances for the amount of waste that can be landfilled by councils and acts as a driver for increased recycling of waste.
	The recently published Waste Management Strategy sets new and challenging targets for councils for the recycling and recovery of household waste. The Department is committed to the development of viable end markets for recycled materials, and is working to ensure the timely procurement and establishment of the required facilities, and the introduction of legislation making provision for incentive schemes to encourage the reduction, re-use and recycling of waste.

TREASURY

Company Tax Credit

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of each company tax credit in each year from 2006-07 to 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The estimated cost of research and development tax credits, vaccines research relief, land remediation relief and film tax relief are given in the table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Research and development tax credits  Vaccines research relief  Land remediation relief  Film tax relief 
			 2006-07 770 20 30 20 
			 2007-08 800 20 30 110 
			 2008-09 850 20 40 110 
			 2009-10 900 20 40 120 
			 2010-11 960 20 40 120 
			  Note:  Figures are on a receipts basis and rounded to the nearest £10 million.

Departmental Finance Directors

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of (i) his Department and (ii) HM Revenue and Customs.

John Healey: The information is as follows:
	 In respect of HM Treasury:
	 (a) Mary Keegan is Finance Director.
	 (b) She is an MA (Somerville College, Oxford) and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. She also holds honorary doctorates from the Universities of Manchester and Oxford Brookes, and is an honorary member of both the Association of Corporate Treasurers and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
	 (c) She was appointed in September 2004. She was previously Chairman of the UK Accounting Standards Board and before that a senior partner in a large accounting firm where she advised major multinational companies on matters of financial reporting, governance and management.
	 For HM Revenue and Customs:
	 (a) Stephen Jones is Finance Director.
	. He is a fully trained HM Inspector of Taxes [1980] and a passed finalist of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants [2006],
	 (c) He has extensive experience as a tax inspector and in a range of senior management positions in the Inland Revenue and subsequently HMRC. He was Director of the Large Business Office in the Inland Revenue from 2000-03. In October 2003 he was appointed as Finance Director of the Inland Revenue, a role which he continued with for HMRC on its formation.

Doorstep Lending

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken by the Government to regulate doorstep lending.

Ian McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
	Home credit providers (or doorstep lenders) are regulated under the Consumer Credit Act (1974). This Act lays down rules covering:
	the form and content of credit agreements;
	credit advertising;
	the method of calculating the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of the Total Charge for Credit;
	the procedures to be adopted in the event of default, termination, or early settlement;
	extortionate credit bargains;
	the canvassing of loans away from trade premises.
	The Act also requires that all traders who make regulated agreements obtain a licence from the Office of Fair Trading.
	The Consumer Credit Act (2006) reforms the 1974 Act and (among other things) will provide consumers with tools to challenge unfair lending, and more effective options for resolving disputes. It will also improve the regulation of consumer credit businesses by ensuring fairer practices and through targeted action to drive out rogues. There will also be new regulations covering the post-contractual information given to consumers.
	In addition, the Competition Commission is currently conducting a market inquiry into the supply of home credit. Provisional findings and possible remedies were published on 27 April 2006. The statutory deadline for the final report is 19 December 2006.

HM Revenue and Customs

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many searches were carried out by customs officials at border checkpoints in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of searches of persons is contained in the Annual Reports for HM Customs and Excise and HM Revenue and Customs. The figures for the year ending 31 March 2006 will be published in the next Annual Report. HM Revenue and Customs do not routinely record the number of other searches they undertake.

HM Revenue and Customs

Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many customs officers are deployed at Northern Ireland's ports and airports; how many there were in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of HMRC frontline staff regularly deployed at Northern Ireland Ports and Airports was:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 124 
			 2004-05 118 
			 2005-06 111

HM Revenue and Customs

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many customs officials are stationed at each  (a) port and  (b) airport in the UK during each 24 hour period.

Dawn Primarolo: This information cannot be disclosed as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs' controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.

HM Revenue and Customs

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of customs officials employed in the UK were deployed  (a) at fixed ports and airports and  (b) in mobile patrols in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: In the last five years the percentage of HM Customs and Excise operational front-line staff regularly deployed to ports and airports was:
	
		
			  As at 1 April each year  Percentage 
			 2005 17.3 
			 2004 16.4 
			 2003 16.6 
			 2002 17.5

HM Revenue and Customs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to improve the speed of response of the customer support office at the HM Revenue and Customs office in Preston.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 14 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1272W to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws).

HM Revenue and Customs

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs officers are located in each office in Wales.

Dawn Primarolo: At 1 April 2006, HM Revenue and Customs full-time equivalent staff in Wales were located in the following offices:
	
		
			  Building  Town  Staff 
			 Crown Building Aberystwyth 39 
			 Ty Glyn Bangor 95 
			 Government Building Brecon 29 
			 Tremains House Bridgend 58 
			 The Podium, Llanishen Cardiff 23 
			 Portcullis House Cardiff 341 
			 Government Buildings Cardiff 2,429 
			 Government Buildings Carmarthen 52 
			 Ty-Myrddin Carmarthen 78 
			 2 Coed Pella Road Colwyn Bay 54 
			 Government Buildings Haverfordwest 57 
			 Crown Building Llanelli 40 
			 Government Building Merthyr Tidfil 74 
			 Crown Building Newport 131 
			 Try Felin Pontypool 40 
			 Taff Vale House Pontypridd 57 
			 Ty Moelwyn Porthmadog 34 
			 Llys Anwyl Rhyl 59 
			 Custom House Swansea 31 
			 Ty Nant Swansea 287 
			 Dolanog House Welshpool 38 
			 Plas Gororall Wrexham 425 
			 Other locations with less than 20 staff  42 
			 Total  4,515

HM Revenue and Customs

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many seizures of  (a) illegal firearms,  (b) drugs and  (c) cigarettes have been made in Wales in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is given in the table:
	
		
			   Firearms  Drugs  Cigarettes 
			 2005-06 2 26 672 
			 2004-05 1 34 643 
			 2003-04 0 27 635 
			 2002-03 0 32 540 
			 2001-02 5 83 1,274

HM Revenue and Customs

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs staff were located in Wales in each of the past five years; which HM Revenue and Customs offices in Wales closed in each of the past five years; and when each closed.

Dawn Primarolo: The numbers of HM Revenue and Customs (HM Customs and Excise and Inland Revenue prior to 18 April 2005) full-time equivalent staff in Wales was:
	
		
			   Number of full-time equivalent staff 
			 1 April 2002 4,530 
			 1 April 2003 4,851 
			 1 April 2004 4,854 
			 1 April 2005 4,652 
			 1 April 2006 4,515 
		
	
	HM Revenue and Customs have closed the following offices in Wales in the previous five years:
	Wyndham House Bridgend closed 19 December 2003;
	East Lock Newport closed 28 September 2004; and
	Crown Buildings Aberystwyth closed 10 December 2005.

HM Revenue and Customs

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs staff are allocated in Wales to work on stopping smuggling of  (a) tobacco products,  (b) drugs and  (c) firearms.

Dawn Primarolo: There are 59 frontline operational HMRC staff in Wales operating in multi-functional teams focused on the full range of illicit smuggling activity.

HM Revenue and Customs

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what coastal cover is being provided by HM Revenue and Customs in Wales; and how many HM Revenue and Customs officers are allocated to coastal patrols in Wales.

Dawn Primarolo: Coastal cover is provided by the HMRC Fleet of five revenue cutters. No land based HMRC officers are allocated to coastal patrols.

Income Tax

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the population who paid income tax in 1996-97 are not paying income tax in 2005-06.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.

Inheritance Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of introducing a marginal rate of inheritance tax of 20 per cent. on estates valued above the zero-rate threshold and at less than £500,000 for the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The impact on receipts of introducing from 2007-08 a marginal rate of 20 per cent. on the band of value between the inheritance tax threshold and £500,000 (indexed for inflation from 2008-09) is estimated to be as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Impact on inheritance tax receipts 
			 2007-08 -355 
			 2008-09 -775 
			 2009-10 -860 
			 2010-11 -925 
			 2011-12 -995

International Finance Facility

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 353-4W, on sterling stamp duty, what proportion of the Overseas Development Aid (ODA) budget is projected to come annually from the International Finance Facility from the time of its projected introduction until 2013; and what contingency budget plans he has to reach the target of 0.7 per cent. of gross national income as ODA for each year until 2013 if the International Finance Facility is not introduced.

Edward Balls: The UK has announced a clear timetable to reach 0.7 per cent. ODA/GNI by 2013. With the International Finance Facility (IFF), the UK would reach the equivalent of 0.7 per cent. ODA/GNI sooner. Depending on the size of its contribution to the IFF, the UK could reach the equivalent of the 0.7 per cent. target as early as 2008-09. However, a decision on the size and timing of a UK contribution will not be made until the launch of the IFF.
	With the support off other OECD DAC countries, the IFF aims to provide up to $50 billion a year in development assistance between now and 2020 to support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The IFF would issue bonds on the international capital markets, leveraging additional frontloaded resources on the basis of long-term pledges from donor governments.
	The frontloading principles of the IFF are already being demonstrated in the pilot IFF for Immunisation (IFFIm), which has secured financial contributions from eight countries including the UK. The IFFIm will disburse $4 billion over the next 10 years to scale up efforts to tackle preventable diseases in the world's poorest countries. The World Health Organisation has estimated that these resources will save a total of 10 million lives, including 5 million children before 2015.

Poverty

Eric Martlew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures his Department has taken to reduce poverty in Carlisle.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury has, in partnership with other Government Departments, tackled poverty and promoted economic opportunity through:
	Promoting macro-economic stability.
	Supporting work for those who can and ensuring that work pays, through the new deals, a national minimum wage and the working tax credit.
	Providing financial support for groups at particular risk of poverty, such as child benefit and the child tax credit for families, and the pension credit for pensioners.
	Across the UK, these measures have helped lift more than a million people out of poverty since 1997. Tax credits are benefiting more than 550,000 families in the North West region, and in Carlisle, claimant unemployment has fallen by over 50 per cent., youth unemployment has fallen by 70 per cent. and long-term unemployment has fallen by 82 per cent.

Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures his Department has taken to reduce  (a) child poverty and  (b) pensioner poverty since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The Treasury has, in partnership with other Government Departments, tackled poverty and promoted economic opportunity through:
	Promoting macroeconomic stability.
	Supporting work for those who can and ensuring that work pays, through the new deals, a national minimum wage and the working tax credit.
	Providing financial support for groups at particular risk of poverty, such as child benefit and the child tax credit for families, and pension credit for pensioners.
	Since 1996-97, the number of children in relative poverty has fallen by 700,000 before housing costs, and 800,000 after housing costs have been taken account of; and the number of children in absolute poverty has fallen by 1.8 million before housing costs, and 2.4 million after housing costs.
	And compared with the 1997 system, in 2006-07, as a result of the Government's measures including the pension credit, on average pensioners are £29 per week better off; and the poorest third of pensioners are £40 per week better off. 2.1 million pensioners were lifted out of absolute low income between 1996-97 and 2004-05 after housing costs. Over a million were lifted out of relative low income in the same period. Relative low income poverty fell by half a million between 2002-03 and 2004-05: the years pension credit took effect.

Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures his Department has taken to reduce poverty in the Vale of Clwyd since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The Treasury has, in partnership with other Government Departments, tackled poverty and promoted economic opportunity through:
	Promoting macroeconomic stability.
	Supporting work for those who can and ensuring that work pays, through the new deals, a national minimum wage and the working tax credit.
	Providing financial support for groups at particular risk of poverty, such as child benefit and the child tax credit for families, and the pension credit for pensioners.
	Across the UK, these measures have helped lift more than a million people out of poverty since 1997. Tax credits are benefiting more than 240,000 families in Wales, and in the Vale of Clwyd claimant unemployment has fallen by 44 per cent., youth unemployment has fallen by 65 per cent., and long-term unemployment has fallen by 77 per cent.

Poverty

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to reduce poverty in the Hartlepool constituency since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The Treasury has, in partnership with other Government Departments, tackled poverty and promoted economic opportunity through:
	Promoting macroeconomic stability;
	Supporting work for those who can and ensuring that work pays, through the new deals, a national minimum wage and the working tax credit;
	Providing financial support for groups at particular risk of poverty, such as child benefit and the child tax credit for families, and the pension credit for pensioners.
	Across the UK, these measures have helped lift more than a million people out of poverty since 1997. Tax credits are benefiting more than 220,000 families in the north east, and in Hartlepool claimant unemployment has fallen by 45 per cent., youth unemployment has fallen by 71 per cent. and long-term unemployment has fallen by 87 per cent.

Premium Bonds

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was  (a) invested in Premium Bonds, (b) paid out in Premium Bond winnings and  (c) not claimed by winners each month since January 2000; and how many Premium Bond holders there were in each month.

Edward Balls: Column  (a) in the table shows the total amount invested in Premium Bonds since January 2000 on a monthly basis. These figures reflect total held stock rather than net debt financing or sales in that period.
	Column  (b) shows the amount paid out in Premium Bond prizes since January 2000 on a monthly basis.
	Column  (c) shows the total amount not claimed in Premium Bond prizes since January 2000 on an annual basis, as supplying monthly data on Premium Bond prizes would incur a disproportionate cost.
	National Savings & Investments is unable to supply the information requested on the precise number of Premium Bond holders, as it monitors holdings, not holders. It is possible that individual holders may be counted multiple times if they have not notified NS&I that they have changed their names or address.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   (a) Invested in premium bonds  (b) Paid out in Premium Bond winnings( 1)  (c) Not claimed by winners( 2) 
			  2000
			 January 13,848.0 39.5 19.8 
			 February 13,883.9 39.5 — 
			 March 13,903.8 42.5 — 
			 April 13,948.9 42.5 — 
			 May 14,028.1 45.7 — 
			 June 14,102.2 48.7 — 
			 July 14,184.0 49.0 — 
			 August 14,308.5 49.3 — 
			 September 14,431.6 49.6 — 
			 October 14,618.9 50.0 — 
			 November 14,826.2 50.5 — 
			 December 14,922.8 51.1 — 
			 
			  2001
			 January 15,115.1 52.0 — 
			 February 15,252.7 52.1 — 
			 March 15,395.4 52.9 — 
			 April 15,498.1 50.1 19.2 
			 May 15,617.9 50.6 — 
			 June 15,735.8 51.0 — 
			 July 15,857.5 51.3 — 
			 August 16,001.6 48.5 — 
			 September 16,154.9 45.6 — 
			 October 16,408.7 46.1 — 
			 November 16,658.2 46.6 — 
			 December 16,845.5 43.9 — 
			 
			  2002
			 January 17,095.7 44.7 — 
			 February 17,210.3 40.2 — 
			 March 17,268.1 33.7 — 
			 April 17,367.7 34.0 20.3 
			 May 17,460.4 34.1 — 
			 June 17,543.6 34.4 — 
			 July 17,669.5 34.5 — 
			 August 17,823.4 34.8 — 
			 September 17,965.0 35.1 — 
			 October 18,175.2 35.4 — 
			 November 18,392.2 35.8 — 
			 December 18,556.1 36.4 — 
			 
			  2003
			 January 18,935.7 36.5 — 
			 February 19,370.1 37.4 — 
			 March 19,711.3 38.2 — 
			 April 19,996.2 38.9 22.9 
			 May 20,902.4 37.0 — 
			 June 21,413.6 38.6 — 
			 July 21,954.1 39.6 — 
			 August 22,370.2 40.4 — 
			 September 22,761.0 41.3 — 
			 October 23,148.0 40.1 — 
			 November 23,481.8 40.9 — 
			 December 23,716.0 41.5 — 
			 
			  2004
			 January 23,960.9 41.8 — 
			 February 24,112.2 47.2 — 
			 March 24,251.4 47.3 — 
			 April 24,386.2 47.7 23.5 
			 May 24,531.9 52.0 — 
			 June 24,674.9 52.3 — 
			 July 24,973.4 52.6 — 
			 August 25,170.9 57.3 — 
			 September 25,387.3 66.0 — 
			 October 25,630.0 66.7 — 
			 November 25,889.7 67.4 — 
			 December 26,036.6 68.2 — 
			 
			  2005
			 January 26,294.0 68.4 — 
			 February 26,456.1 69.1 — 
			 March 26,609.1 69.4 — 
			 April 26,768.5 69.8 24.2 
			 May 26,907.5 70.3 — 
			 June 27,185.0 70.7 — 
			 July 27,586.7 72.6 — 
			 August 28,211.1 68.0 — 
			 September 28,711.0 69.5 — 
			 October 29,247.8 70.8 — 
			 November 29,661.4 72.2 — 
			 December 29,963.8 73.3 — 
			 
			  2006
			 January 30,443.2 73.9 — 
			 February 30,780.5 75.1 — 
			 March 31,081.8 75.8 — 
			 April 31,382.1 76.6 25.2 
			 May 31,635.5 76.1 — 
			 (1 )This includes any unclaimed prizes.  (2 )This is a cumulative figure for the total at each specified date and not the amount of each year's unclaimed prizes.

Special Advisers

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role is played by special advisers in answering parliamentary questions asked of his Department.

John Healey: The 'Code of Conduct for Special Advisers' states that a special adviser may review papers going to the Minister and give assistance on any aspect of departmental business.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters about tax credits from hon. Members have been received by  (a) the tax credits office and  (b) his Department's Ministers in each month since April 2004.

Dawn Primarolo: For information up to and including May 2005, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 4 July 2005,  Official Report, columns 98-99W.
	Details for the further period 1 June 2005 to 31 May 2006 were around:
	
		
			  Letters from hon. Members to TCO 
			  Month  Number 
			  2005  
			 June 800 
			 July 950 
			 August 850 
			 September 800 
			 October 950 
			 November 1,000 
			 December 800 
			   
			  2006  
			 January 800 
			 February 950 
			 March 1,000 
			 April 700 
			 May 800 
		
	
	In addition to those received by the Tax Credit Office, Treasury Ministers received around 2,100 letters from hon. Members in the same period.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many additional tax credit payments were made in each  (a) month and  (b) quarter since April 2003; what the value was; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For the number and value of additional tax credits payments in 2003-04 and 2004-05, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 July 2005,  Official Report, column 2035W to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field).
	It is no longer necessary for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to issue manual payments in cases of hardship following an in-year adjustment. Instead, a new process allows for an adjustment on the tax credits system to reduce the rate of recovery of an overpayment in-year. Information on the number of payments adjusted in this way is not available.
	HMRC's Code of Practice 26 (COP26) 'What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?' explains the circumstances in which additional payments can be made if payments are reduced to recover a previous year's overpayment but the maximum rates of recovery outlined in COP26, are still causing financial difficulties.
	Around 250 such payments, with a total value of around £17,500, were made to around 60 claimants in 2005-06.
	Monthly and quarterly information is not available.

Tax Credits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 19 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1485W, on carers, if he will estimate what the annual cost would be if tax credits were paid to carers allowance recipients on the basis that the 35 hours per week spent caring that qualifies them for caring allowance as an income replacement benefit was considered equivalent to earned income for 35 hours per week of employment.

Dawn Primarolo: The estimated annual cost if tax credits were paid to carers allowance recipients on the basis that the hours spent caring were equivalent to working for 35 hours per week is around £1 billion. This estimate does not take into account any behavioural changes or any resulting reduction in benefit payments.

Tax Credits

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many residents in each ward in Luton, South received  (a) child tax credit and  (b) tax credit in 2005-06; and what the average value of such credits was.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster, North (Edward Miliband), on 10 May 2006,  Official Report, column 246W.

Tax Credits

Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  in what circumstances a parent would be eligible to claim the child care element of working tax credit if the child care professional employed was  (a) a family member and  (b) resident in the family home;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that relatives who care for children in their own home are eligible for working tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: Entitlement to the child care element of working tax credit is set out in regulation 14 of the Working Tax Credit (Entitlement and Maximum Rate) Regulation 2002.
	The child care element of working tax credit is not payable in respect of child care provided by a relative of a child, wholly or mainly in the child's home. It is only available for the costs of formal child care and is in line with the Government's commitment to promote good quality and safe provision.

VAT

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce VAT on all forms of construction to the lower rate.

Dawn Primarolo: VAT is not chargeable on the construction of new dwellings and certain charitable buildings, or on any approved alterations to certain protected buildings.
	Under European VAT agreements a reduced rate of VAT of not less than 5 per cent. is available for certain works of construction, renovation and alteration of housing.
	To date the Government have been sparing in their use of reduced rates and only applied these where they offer the best targeted, most efficient support for our objectives. In the area of construction, this has included the application of reduced VAT rates for certain residential conversions, to support the creation of new homes through better use of the existing housing stock, and the renovation of housing that has been empty for more than three years, to help bring vacant homes back into use.
	While all taxes are kept under review, there are no current plans to reduce VAT on all other forms of construction.

VAT

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to reduce VAT on social housing labour costs.

Dawn Primarolo: VAT is not chargeable on the construction of new dwellings or on any approved alterations to certain protected dwellings. Under European VAT agreements a reduced rate of VAT of not less than 5 per cent. is available for certain works of construction, renovation and alteration of housing.
	To date, the Government have been sparing in their use of reduced rates and only applied these where they offer the best targeted, most efficient support for our objectives. In the area of housing, this has included the application of reduced VAT rates for certain residential conversions, to support the creation of new homes through better use of the existing housing stock, and the renovation of housing that has been empty for more than three years, to help bring vacant homes back into use.
	While all taxes are kept under review, there are no current plans to reduce VAT on any other social housing labour costs.